Islamic Jihad, a group even more radical than Hamas, whose goal is to eliminate Israel

Islamic Jihadwho blames Israel for the explosion that killed 500 people in a hospital in Gaza, is a Palestinian organization founded in 1981backed by Iran and committed to armed resistance against the Jewish State.

It is often called Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) to distinguish it from other jihadist groups in the Islamic world. It is characterized by its radical Islamist ideology and his stated goal of eliminating the State of Israel and establishing an Islamic State in its place.

It was founded by students from the Islamic University of Gaza and is seen as closely linked to the Islamist movement Hamas, which has ruled the Palestinian enclave since 2007.

Although the PIJ generally coordinates its operations with Hamas, the two organizations sometimes disagree on tactical and strategic matters. For example, Islamic Jihad fought Israel alone during two multi-day war escalations in August 2022 and May 2023.

In any case, the two groups, backed by Iran – Israel’s number 1 enemy – are linked Muslim Brothersa movement founded in Egypt in the 20th century.

Islamic Jihad operates primarily in Gaza, but the group also has a presence in the West Bank, a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967, details Episode.

In 1992, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, the Al Quds Brigades, was founded. The organization was led by Fathi Chakaki until 1995, when its leader, also a writer and doctor, was assassinated in Malta by the Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence service.

Considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and the European Union, Islamic Jihad He has claimed responsibility for several suicide bombings against Israelis, especially during the Second Intifada. (Palestinian uprising, 2000-2005).

In 1989, he committed a suicide bombing on a bus traveling from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, killing sixteen people.

Many of the organization’s leaders are currently in Damascus, Syria.

Islamic Jihad opposes all negotiations with Israel and rejects the Oslo Accordssigned by the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and Israel in 1993. (I)