Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh wants the other armed groups in Gaza to stop firing rockets into Israel.
The group, worried about the potential for Israeli retaliation, has spent weeks trying to broker a Gaza-wide cease-fire. Haniyeh said in late November that he had reached a deal, but Islamic Jihad and the PFLP quickly denied those reports.
Other groups, like Jund Ansar Allah and Ansar al-Sunna, didn't even bother responding to Haniyeh's request. Those groups -- usually comprising no more than a few dozen members, many of whom are disenchanted former members of Hamas -- have continued firing rockets and mortars into Israel. The pace of their attacks has accelerated over the last two weeks, prompting several Israeli attacks inside the Gaza Strip.
The latest attack came around 11am this morning (local time), when a Qassam rocket landed in the western Negev desert. Ansar al-Sunna claimed responsibility for the attack, which caused no casualties or damage.
Tension between Hamas and other armed groups is one of the more interesting (and under-reported) stories in Gaza. The Washington Institute for Near East Policy just published a fairly detailed report on those off-brand groups. The report has generally been mischaracterized in the press, as Spencer Ackerman noted on Monday: Most journalists have focused on those groups' half-hearted and unsuccessful attempts to link up with al-Qaeda.
But those efforts are only a small portion of the study, written by Matt Levitt and Yoram Cohen. The report's real value is its detailed case studies of those off-brand groups: their leadership, their motivations, and their relationship with Hamas.
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Categories: Israel, Israel & Palestine, Palestine, Regional News, War and Terrorism
Tags: Ansar al-Sunna, Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, Israeli Defense Forces, Jund Ansar Allah, Qassam rockets, Washington Institute for Near East Policy
1 Comment
From "Three killed as Israel bombs Gaza":
Hamas' own actions prove the success of the Israeli military's twin doctrines: deterrence and armed reprisal. Hamas knows that Israel will respond with deadly force every time it's attacked. Hamas fears these reprisals, so it's not only stopped it's own rocket attacks but also tried to restrain other militant factions. Thus, the border stays calm and lives are ultimately saved on both sides.
Many have questioned the legality of armed reprisals under international law. To those who would criticize Israel's policy, this is the Israeli response:
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