Debate Over Hamas’ Role in Repelling Israeli Aggression Against Islamic Jihad: What’s the Story?

Why doesn’t Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement, join forces with Islamic Jihad in the battle against the Israeli Occupation forces?

This is currently the most prominent question amidst the ongoing confrontation, which initially targeted leaders of the Islamic Jihad movement by Israeli airstrikes.

On May 9, 2023, Israeli airstrikes assassinated three leaders of the al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, along with members of their families, in addition to several other civilians. The number of martyred leaders later rose to five.

Tensions escalated following missile launches from Gaza shortly after the martyrdom of Islamic Jihad leader Khader Adnan on May 2, 2023.

Adnan had been on a hunger strike for 86 days since his arrest on February 5, refusing to accept the continuation of his imprisonment and the charges leveled against him, primarily “incitement.”

After more than 24 hours of cautious calm from the Palestinian Resistance following the assassination of its three leaders, the factions began launching rockets toward settlements in Gaza and Tel Aviv on the afternoon of May 10.

 

Operations Room

The implementation of the response began as part of the Thar al-Ahrar Operation launched by the Joint Operations Room of Palestinian resistance factions in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Occupation referred to it as The Protective Edge.

Despite being launched under the name Joint Operations Room, many argue that the scale of the response indicates that the military wing of Hamas, the al-Qassam Brigades, the most powerful and prominent military faction, has not yet intervened.

This is despite Hamas declaring, at the start of the Palestinian response, that the rocket barrages launched from Gaza toward Israeli settlements adjacent to the Strip are part of the unified response of the Palestinian Resistance to the military operation carried out by the Israeli Occupation army.

In a statement issued by the Hamas spokesperson, Abdul-Latif al-Qanou, it was added: “The resistance’s response is a duty and a constant response to any aggression. It is unified in the field, present with strength to deter the Israeli Occupation, and will not allow it to pursue its agendas or export its crises.”

However, others deny this and believe that Hamas supports other factions with its capabilities and expertise, gradually escalating according to field developments without dragging the people of the Gaza Strip into a widespread war.

The Joint Operations Room was established in 2006 and first appeared in its initial form between the al-Qassam Brigades and the al-Quds Brigades as a result of the National Reconciliation Document in May of that year.

The document stipulated at the time the “formation of a united front to resist the Israeli Occupation, coordinate its work, and establish a unified political reference for it” to make the room “the nucleus of the liberation army.”

However, the room’s work did not come into full effect until July 2018, when the Great Return Marches erupted on the borders of the Gaza Strip, resulting in major confrontations and intermittent escalations.

At this point, Hamas and Islamic Jihad decided to engage in joint confrontations, away from individual actions.

Over time, as escalations increased intermittently, the Joint Operations Room began issuing joint statements to declare its positions and steps.

Today, the Joint Operations Room includes 12 military wings, including the al-Qassam Brigades, the al-Quds Brigades, the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades – al-Amoudi Brigade, the National Resistance Brigades, and the Mujahideen Brigades.

These factions now issue unified statements, carry out joint maneuvers and military displays, and benefit from each other’s experiences, further strengthening the resistance’s steadfastness and power.

Nevertheless, it is widely recognized among Palestinian and Israeli political and media circles that the ultimate authority to decide on peace or war primarily rests with Hamas.

This was confirmed by Haaretz on May 9, stating that Hamas will decide whether the Israeli operation in Gaza turns into a comprehensive war or not.

However, the absence of Hamas’ direct involvement in a combat round does not mean that other factions remain idle in the face of Israeli aggression, especially if their leaders are targeted.

This was evident on August 5, 2022, when the Israeli Occupation launched an assault on the Gaza Strip by assassinating Tayseer al-Jabari, the commander of the al-Quds Brigades, in an operation called “Breaking Dawn.”

At that time, the Palestinian resistance responded by launching dozens of rockets toward the occupied territories in an operation that notably lacked the participation of the al-Qassam Brigades.

Amid ongoing discussions about this absence, both Hamas and Islamic Jihad reiterated in multiple statements by their leaders and spokespersons that their relationship is strong and steadfast and that the Israeli Occupation is trying to drive a wedge between them.

The escalation at that time focused on targeting Islamic Jihad, starting with the assassination of al-Jabari, who was responsible for the northern region of the al-Quds Brigades and a member of its military council.

When announcing its operation, the Israeli army stated that it targeted Islamic Jihad, its weapons, military depots, and rocket launch sites in Gaza, claiming that al-Jabari and other activists were about to carry out operations against “Israel.”

The mentioned wave of escalation began on August 1, following the Israeli Occupation’s arrest of senior Islamic Jihad leader Bassam al-Saadi from his home in Jenin, in the northern West Bank.

At that time, the Joint Operations Room granted Islamic Jihad the right to respond without announcing its direct involvement in order to prevent the opportunity for the then-government of Yair Lapid to launch a wide-scale aggression on the Gaza Strip.

Despite their consolidation within the Joint Operations Room, each faction maintains some degree of independence.

However, the decision to engage in a confrontation with the Israeli Occupation is made in coordination among all of them.

 

Would It Participate?

Amid the uncertainty regarding the participation of the al-Qassam Brigades in the battle, Israeli media circles have speculated about Hamas’ non-involvement thus far.

An Israeli military source stated to the Israeli radio that Hamas enabled Islamic Jihad to use its rocket launching wells to launch missiles into Israeli territory.

Israeli officials further added to the radio that Hamas assisted them in doing so when the Israeli Occupation forces destroyed the Jihad’s rocket launching sites.

In turn, the Maariv newspaper confirmed by stating: “Despite the recent launches toward Rishon LeTsiyon east of Tel Aviv, the security apparatus confirms that it is the Islamic Jihad that is launching the rockets, and Hamas has not intervened yet.”

In the mentioned rocket strike, an Israeli settler was killed when a rocket hit a four-story building, while four others were injured.

However, Palestinian observers believe that Hamas is already participating without making an official announcement. One of these experts in Israeli affairs is Saaed Bsharat.

Bsharat told Al-Estiklal newspaper: “The strikes and actions are coordinated, and the Israeli Occupation is trying to reveal Hamas’ involvement and closely monitoring it.”

He attributed Hamas’ non-declaration of participation to the fact that it would “have catastrophic consequences for the Gaza Strip in terms of intensifying the military operation and bombardment.”

He also emphasized that “Hamas does not want to say that it is participating, and the Israeli Occupation also does not want its intervention because it would get involved in a full-scale war.”

On her part, journalist Muna Omari, who follows Israeli affairs, tweeted: “The Israeli media focuses on two points: Pride in the assassinations and the fact that Hamas has not entered the fray yet, as if the Joint Operations Room is managed by a student committee, and as if the technological and strategic developments in the weapons of the factions do not require exchanging expertise and joint coordination.”

She continued, stating that “this morning [May 11] indicates that a Palestinian faction has turned Israel into a battleground,” referring to the escalating shelling of settlements by the resistance.

On the other hand, Palestinian activist Yaseen Izeddeen stated: “The Israeli Occupation and its collaborators focus on the lie that the Jihad is fighting alone and that Hamas has not intervened, and that the Joint Operations Room is nothing more than media rhetoric.”

He continued on Twitter: “They claim that if Hamas had intervened, the scale and strength of the response would have been greater. Some fools believe this lie, despite the confirmation of Jihad leaders and all factions that it is the Joint Operations Room that leads them.”

Military expert Youssef al-Sharqawi believes that “Hamas has been actively involved in the battle from the very beginning, managing it from the Joint Operations Room.”

In an interview with Al-Estiklal, he stated that both Islamic Jihad and an Israeli intelligence source confirmed this, with Hamas reportedly handing over hundreds of its rockets to Islamic Jihad after their launchers were destroyed.

He further added: “It is illogical to think that Hamas did not participate in the battle because, logically speaking, Islamic Jihad is part of the military system in Gaza, which is practically under Hamas’ command. Hamas will not allow it to be weakened, and this is a neutral perspective.”

 

Reasons for Hesitation

Many people draw similarities between the current round of conflict and what happened on August 5, 2022, when the Islamic Jihad Movement entered the battle alone.

They believe that the same reasons are causing Hamas to hesitate further.

On August 16, 2022, writer Ali al-Awar identified three reasons that prevented Hamas from participating in the war on Gaza at that time, as reported by the local Maan News Agency.

“The first reason is the economic prosperity in the Gaza Strip as a result of the period of calm, which contributed to an increase in the number of permits for workers, traders, and businessmen, reaching up to 15,000 permits,” al-Awar said.

“Israel” announced in September 2022 an increase in the quota of work and trade permits for Palestinians residing in the Gaza Strip, bringing the total to 17,000 permits.

These permits, which the Israeli Occupation began issuing over the past two years, contribute to improving the conditions of Palestinians trapped in the Gaza Strip for over 15 years.

According to the Ministry of Labor, in April 2023, there are 250,000 unemployed workers in Gaza.

When rockets are launched, the Israeli authorities close the shared crossings with Gaza, preventing workers from crossing and receiving their salaries and threatening to revert to the previous situation.

Al-Awar continued: “These permits and the income provided by the workers to the Gaza Strip, approximately six million shekels per day, have enabled some economic prosperity, increased purchasing power, and commercial activity.”

He added: “Secondly, Hamas has focused on popular support and a shift in its strategy toward popular grassroots work and charitable associations, distancing itself from the anger of the masses and the residents of the Gaza Strip due to the demolition of more homes and residential towers.”

A Twitter user named Muath commented on the current war, saying, “Hamas’ current role is to prevent the targeting of towers, the commission of massacres, and the Israeli Occupation’s resort to incendiary balloons and indiscriminate shelling. This relieves the Islamic Jihad of the pressure of popular support, giving the resistance factions more resilience in the confrontation and negotiations.”

The third reason, according to the author, is Hamas’ desire to present a diplomatic image at the regional and international levels.

The political activism of its leaders and foreign visits represent a new approach for Hamas, considering its importance as a political player in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its aim to secure a seat in any future political process.

In addition to these reasons, activists close to Hamas argue that the movement seeks to establish a longer period of calm and reduce the number of confrontations in order to rebuild what has been destroyed by the Israeli Occupation in previous wars and restore its military arsenal.

Hamas is viewed as responsible for managing the affairs of two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since the internal division in 2007, in contrast to the Fatah movement represented by Mahmoud Abbas’s authority.

Analysts close to Hamas declined to comment or answer questions about the reasons preventing the Islamic movement from engaging in confrontation with the Jihad Movement.