Terrorist groups in Gaza seek to compete with Hamas to carry out attacks-Analysis

Hamas is continuing its attacks on the IDF in Gaza eight and a half months into the war. Increasingly, a number of other terrorist groups in Gaza are also seeking to carry out daily attacks on Israeli forces.

This is clear from claims made by the groups to pro-Iranian media. For instance, on Tuesday, an article published by Beirut-based Al Mayadeen news channel listed six terrorist groups in addition to Hamas that had carried out attacks over the past day.

Hamas is increasingly competing for space in these reports, even though its attacks are listed first. For instance, Hamas claimed Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades, its so-called military wing, had carried out an attack using Yassin-105 shells against the IDF in Tal al-Sultan. It also claimed to have used mortars. Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Al-Quds Brigades also claimed to have carried out an attack in Rafah. In addition, the same PIJ units said they had used a drone to target IDF forces near Kerem Shalom.

In the same Al Mayadeen article, the Mujahideen Brigades, which are part of the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement, said they had fired rockets toward Re’im in the Gaza periphery.

“The Mujahideen Brigades broadcast footage of monitoring and targeting gatherings and the route of the Israeli occupation forces south of the Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza with Type 107 missiles,” the pro-Iranian media outlet reported.

Meanwhile, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades said it had carried out an attack against the Netzarim corridor. The Martyr Omar Al-Qasim unit, which is part of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), said it had used an RPG to target an IDF armored personnel carrier in Rafah.

The Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said it had used 60-mm. mortars in an attack in the Zaytoun neighborhood near Gaza City. It said it had cooperated with the DFLP.

This report is similar to many recent reports about attacks in Gaza. What is also clear is how many attacks, as an overall percent, are now being carried out by all the other terrorist groups in Gaza. These groups also operate in the West Bank. 

They seek to leverage their attacks in Gaza to increase their role in the West Bank. These groups are not only working together in Gaza, but they also have their eyes on the postwar period.

Hamas is letting the other groups operate because it has often partnered with PIJ in Gaza. But Hamas appears to also need the resources of these groups. Hamas has taken losses. Israel doesn’t usually differentiate between Hamas losses and those of the other groups, but the bulk of the losses in the Gaza war have been suffered by Hamas.

This means these groups are filling the breach and the vacuum. Hamas will want to clip their wings eventually. But at the moment, these groups are taking an increased role in the terrorist war being waged against the IDF in Gaza.

This makes sense for the smaller groups because they don’t have access to the larger munitions that Hamas once had. They have AK-47s, RPGs, and some mortars or rockets. Therefore, this kind of war, in which they can seek out targets of opportunity in Gaza, is well tuned to how the smaller groups can operate.