| Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades | |
|---|---|
| كتائب شهداء الأقصى[a] | |
 | |
| Leader | Raed Al Karmi (former) |
| Dates of operation | 2000–present |
| Ideology | |
| Part of |  Fatah (until 2007) |
| Allies |  Al-Qassam Brigades Al-Quds Brigades Al-Nasser Salah al-Deen Brigades Palestinian Authority (until 2007) |
| Opponents |  IsraelPalestinian Authority (from 2007) |
| Battles and wars | |
| Designated as a terrorist group by | Israel United States European Union Canada New Zealand Japan |
| Website | nedal |
Preceded by Al-'Asifah | |
Theal-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades (Arabic:كتائب شهداء الأقصى,romanized: Katāʾib Shuhadāʾ al-Aqṣā)[a] is a formerlyFatah-alignedcoalition ofPalestinian armed groups in theWest Bank[6] and theGaza Strip.[8]
Created in 2000 amidst theSecond Intifada,[9] the Brigades previously operated as the official armed wing of the Fatah political party before separating from them in 2007.[10] Presently, the organization continues to be politically aligned with Fatah[6] and nonetheless sometimes still presents itself as the party's armed wing, an association rejected by Fatah leadership.[9][11]
The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades have conducted various armed attacks on Israeli military and civilian targets since 2000. Notably, they have participated in the ongoingGaza war (2023–present) alongsideHamas and otherallied Palestinian factions.[9][11][12]
The Brigades have been designated as aterrorist organization byIsrael, theEuropean Union,[13][14]Canada,[15]Japan,[16]New Zealand,[17] and theUnited States.[18]
The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades were formed inBalata Camp, nearNablus in theWest Bank, following a controversial visit in September 2000 by Israeli Prime MinisterAriel Sharon and a large police contingent toTemple Mount inJerusalem. The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades had a close connection toFatah under the leadership ofYasser Arafat, although this connection was weakened following Arafat's death in 2004. The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades continues to be aligned with Fatah politically.[6]
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades announced their separation from the Fatah party in 2007, coinciding with PresidentMahmoud Abbas’s announcement of a decree banning all armed militias.[10] The Fatah movement does not currently officially adopt the military wing, and its statements and websites are devoid of any reference to it or its members and leaders.[19] In 2007 to 2008 some members defected to thePalestinian Authority while others formed Islamist splinter groups such as thePopular Resistance Committees (PRC) in the Gaza Strip.[8]Ibrahim al-Nabulsi has been described as "a Fatah leader from Kataeb Shuhada' Al-Aqsa"[2] but it is possible that many people have separate affiliations to both.
Since 2002, some leaders in Fatah have reportedly tried to get the Brigades to stop attacking civilians.[20]
In November 2003, BBC journalists uncovered a payment by Fatah[citation needed] of $50,000 a month to the Brigades[21] This investigation, combined with the documents found by theIsrael Defense Forces (IDF), led thegovernment of Israel to draw the conclusion that the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades had always been directly funded byYasser Arafat.[citation needed]
On 18 December 2003, Fatah asked the leaders of the al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigades to join the Fatah Council, recognizing it officially as part of the Fatah organization.[22]
In June 2004, thenPalestinian Prime MinisterAhmed Qurei openly stated this: "We have clearly declared that the Aksa Martyrs' Brigades are part of Fatah. We are committed to them and Fatah bears full responsibility for the group."[23]
In July 2007, Israel and the Palestinian Authority reached an amnesty deal under which 178 al-Aqsa gunmen surrendered their arms to the Palestinian Authority, renounced future anti-Israel violence and were permitted to join Palestinian security forces.[24] Later agreements in 2007 and 2008 added more gunmen to the list of those granted amnesty in exchange for ending violence, eventually bringing the total to over 300.[25]
On 22 August 2007, according toArutz Sheva, the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades announced that it was backing out of its commitment and promise to refrain from attacks against Israel and the Israeli backed amnesty deal giving amnesty to 178 al-Aqsa gunmen who agreed to stop militant activities against Israel and surrender their weapons.[26] al-Aqsa said that it backed out of the deal due to the IDF's arrest of two militants who were supposed to be on the amnesty list. According to the IDF, they said they caught the two men at a checkpoint and said they were involved in "terrorist activity" which consequently mandated their arrest according to the stipulations of the amnesty deal. Shortly after backing out of the amnesty deal and its promise of stopping to attack Israel that Al Aqsa agreed to a month earlier, al-Aqsa gunmen in Gaza have announced that they are starting to launch hundreds of rockets and mortar shells at Israeli towns and cities and named the campaign, "Hole in the Wall II."[26]
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades are responsible for numerous attacks in theWest Bank, targeting both Israelis and Palestinians.
The group's first attack occurred on 30 October 2000, when a young militant shot two Israeli police officers in the back at the entrance to the National Insurance Institute inEast Jerusalem, killing an officer on the way to the hospital.[27]
On 17 January 2001, Hisham Nikki, head of the officialPalestinian Broadcasting Corporation associated withYasser Arafat, was shot dead by masked gunmen in a restaurant inGaza,Gaza Strip.[28][29] Days later, the group claimed the murder of an Israeli civilian.[30]
In January 2002 they carried out the2002 Hadera attack, when a gunman killed six and wounded 33 in aBat Mitzvah celebration.[31] On 19 February 2002 the Brigades carried out theEin 'Arik checkpoint attack, nearRamallah, where one officer and five soldiers were killed. On 3 March 2002 they carried out theWadi al-Haramiya sniper attack on an IDF checkpoint at Wadi al-Haramiya, nearOfra, where two officers and five soldiers were killed and five soldiers wounded. Three civilian settlers were also killed in the incident. On 2 March 2002 they carried out theYeshivat Beit Yisrael massacre inBeit Yisrael,Jerusalem where 11 were killed.[32] In August 2002 they killed a Palestinian woman,Ikhlas Khouli for collaborating with Israel.[33]
On 5 January 2003, the Brigades killed 22 people in theTel Aviv Central bus station massacre. In November 2003, they killed the brother ofGhassan Shakaa (the mayor ofNablus).[34]
On 29 January 2004, the Brigades carried out theCafé Moment bombing in Rehavia, Jerusalem, resulting in 11 people being killed. During the first three months of 2004, a number of attacks on journalists in the West Bank and Gaza Strip were blamed on the Brigades as well, including the attack on the Arab television stationAl Arabiya's West Bank offices by masked men who identified themselves as members of the Brigades. Palestinian journalists in Gaza called a general strike on 9 February 2004 to protest this rising violence against journalists.[35] On 22 February 2004 they did asuicide bombing on a bus inWest Jerusalem, killing 8 people.[36] On 14 March 2004 the Brigades together with Hamas carried out thePort of Ashdod bombings where 10 were killed.[37]
On 24 March 2004, a Palestinian teenager namedHussam Abdo was caught in anIDF checkpoint carrying anexplosive belt. Following his arrest, an al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades teenagers' militant cell was exposed and arrested inNablus.[38] The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades took prominent part in the July 2004 riots in the Gaza Strip, in which Palestinian officers were kidnapped and PA security headquarters buildings and policemen were attacked by gunmen.[39] These riots led the Palestinian cabinet to declare a state of emergency. One media outlet described the situation in thePalestinian Authority asanarchy andchaos.[citation needed] On 23 September 2004, a 15-year-old suicide bomber was arrested byIsraeli security forces.[40]
On 16 October 2005, the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades claimed responsibility for a shooting attack at theGush Etzion Junction which killed three Israelis and wounded three others.[41]
TheEuropean Union'sGaza offices were raided by 15 masked gunmen from al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades on 30 January 2006. They demanded apologies from Denmark and Norway regarding theJyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons and left 30 minutes later without shots fired or injuries.[42]
On 9 June 2007, in a failed assault on an IDF position at the Kissufim crossing between Gaza and Israel in a possible attempt to kidnap IDF soldiers, 4 armed members of theal-Quds Brigades – the military wing of Islamic Jihad – and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades as the then military wing of Fatah used a vehicle marked with "TV" and "PRESS" insignia, penetrated the border fence, and assaulted a guard tower in what Islamic Jihad and the army said was a failed attempt to capture an Israeli soldier. IDF troops killed one militant, while the others escaped. The use of a vehicle that resembled a press vehicle evoked a sharp response from many journalists and news organizations, including the Foreign Press Association[43] andHuman Rights Watch.[44] On 14 July 2007,Zakaria Zubeidi – who was considered the local al-Aqsa leader forJenin and the northern West Bank, and who had been wanted for many years for his armed activity against Israel – agreed to cease fighting against Israel[45] after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert gave conditional pardon for 178 prisoners from the PA territories.
The Brigades claimed responsibility for the2022 Bnei Brak shootings, where a gunman shot five people dead in theultra-Orthodox Tel Aviv suburb ofBnei Brak before being killed.[46]
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades participated in theOctober 7 attacks on Israel, which began the ongoing Gaza war.[12]
According to theInstitute for the Study of War, during theIsraeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades engaged in combat with theIsrael Defence Forces in various locations throughout the Gaza Strip, including inGaza City,Khan Yunis, andJuhor ad-Dik.[47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54]
Notable members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades includes active militants and militants that were killed or arrested by theIsraeli security forces.
Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades.
Media related toAl-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades at Wikimedia Commons
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