View source for Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades

{{short description|Military wing of the Palestinian Hamas organization}}


{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox war faction
|name     = Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades or The Al-Qassam Brigade<br />{{lang|ar|كتائب الشهيد عز الدين القسام}}
|war      = the [[Israeli–Palestinian conflict|Israeli–Palestinian Conflict]]
|image    = Alqassam logo.png
|caption  = Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades Logo
|active   = 1993–present
|ideology = [[Palestinian self-determination]]<br />[[Sunni]] [[Islamism]],<ref name="islamism">* [http://merln.ndu.edu/archive/icg/Islamism2Mar05.pdf "Understanding Islamism"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130307123849/http://merln.ndu.edu/archive/icg/Islamism2Mar05.pdf |date=7 March 2013}}, Cris is Group Middle East/North Africa Report N°37, 2 March 2005
* "The New Hamas: Between Resistance and Participation". ''Middle East Report''. Graham Usher, 21 August 2005
* {{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUSL23611943._CH_.2400 |title=Hamas leader condemns Islamist charity blacklist |date=23 August 2007 |publisher=Reuters |access-date=28 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205143043/http://www.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUSL23611943._CH_.2400 |archive-date=5 February 2016 |url-status=dead}}
* {{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article2641289.ece |title=Islamist leader hints at Hamas pull-out from Gaza |last=Hider |first=James |date=12 October 2007 |work=The Times |access-date=28 January 2009 |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805103618/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article2641289.ece |archive-date=5 August 2011 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.cfr.org/publication/8968/#p5 |title=Council on Foreign Relations |publisher=Council on Foreign Relations |access-date=27 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100522232749/http://www.cfr.org/publication/8968/#p5 |archive-date=22 May 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref><br />[[Islamic fundamentalism]],<ref name="fundamentalism">
* ''Islamic fundamentalism in the West Bank and Gaza: Muslim Brotherhood and Islamic Jihad'', by [[Ziyād Abū 'Amr]], Indiana University Press, 1994, pp. 66–72
* ''Anti-Semitic Motifs in the Ideology of Hizballah and Hamas'', Esther Webman, Project for the Study of Anti-Semitism, 1994. {{ISBN|978-965-222-592-4}}
</ref><br />[[Palestinian nationalism]]
|leaders  = [[Mohammed Deif]]<br />[[Marwan Issa]]
|headquarters = [[Gaza Strip]]
|area     = [[File:Flag of Palestine.svg|border|22px|link=State of Palestine]] [[Palestinian territories]]<br />{{flag|State of Israel}}
|size = 15,000–40,000<ref>{{cite book |last1=(IISS) |first1=International Institute for Strategic Studies |title=The Military Balance, 2018, Vol. 118, No. 1, February 2018 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781857439557 |date=14 February 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{in lang|fr}} Christian Chesnot, [https://www.franceculture.fr/geopolitique/michel-goya-militairement-le-hamas-monte-en-gamme-depuis-2010 Michel Goya : "Militairement, le Hamas monte en gamme depuis 2010"], ''France Culture'', 18 May 2021.</ref>
|partof   = {{flagicon image|Flag of Hamas.svg}} [[Hamas]]
|predecessor =
|allies=*{{IRN}}<ref name="support">{{Cite web|url=https://adnanabuamer.com/post/2206/exclusive-hamas-official-discusses-decline-of-iranian-support|title=Exclusive: Hamas Official Discusses Decline of Iranian Support}}</ref>
**{{flagicon image|Flag of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution.svg}} [[Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps|IRGC]]
***[[Quds Force]]<ref>https://www.state.gov/on-sanctioning-of-four-financial-facilitators-for-hamas/ {{Dead link|date=April 2022}}</ref>
*{{flag|Hezbollah}}<ref name="support" />
*{{PRK}}<ref>{{cite book|title=North Korean Military Proliferation in the Middle East and Africa: Enabling Violence and Instability|last=Bechtol|first=Bruce E.}}</ref>
*{{QAT}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jewishpress.com/news/middle-east/qatar/hamas-distributes-qatari-money-quietly-brought-into-gaza/2019/07/21/|title = Hamas Distributes Qatari Money Quietly Brought into Gaza}}</ref>
*{{TUR}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2017/03/22/turkish-organizations-under-fire-for-alleged-hamas-support/|title=FDD &#124; Turkish Organizations Under Fire for Alleged Hamas Support|date=22 March 2017}}</ref>
*{{VEN}} ([[Nicolás Maduro|Maduro's government]], alleged)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200601-us-accuses-ex-venezuela-politician-of-helping-recruit-hezbollah-hamas-operatives/|title = US accuses ex-Venezuela politician of helping recruit Hezbollah, Hamas operatives|date = June 2020}}</ref>
|opponents =
* {{flag|Israel}}
* [[File:AQMI Flag asymmetric.svg|23px]] [[Salafists]] in Gaza Strip<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.yahoo.com/hamas-arrests-salafi-sheikh-gaza-over-ties-173604946.html |title=Hamas arrests Salafi sheikh in Gaza over IS ties |work=[[Agence France-Presse]] |access-date=6 April 2015}}</ref>
|status=|attacks  = [[Mehola Junction bombing]], [[Sbarro restaurant suicide bombing]], [[Matza restaurant suicide bombing]], [[Patt Junction Bus Bombing]], [[Kiryat Menachem bus bombing]]
}}

The '''Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades''' ({{lang-ar|كتائب الشهيد عز الدين القسام||Battalions of martyr Izz ad-Din al-Qassam}}; also spelt '''Izzedine''' or '''Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades'''; often shortened to '''Al-Qassam Brigades''',<ref name="About Us" /><ref name="AU" /> '''IQB'''<ref name=":0">"[https://ecfr.eu/special/mapping_palestinian_politics/izz_al_din_al_qassam_brigades/ Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades (IQB) – Hamas]." ''Mapping Palestinian Politics''. [[European Council on Foreign Relations]]. Retrieved 2021 May 20.</ref> or '''EQB'''), named after [[Izz ad-Din al-Qassam]], is the military wing of the [[Palestinian nationalism|Palestinian]] organization [[Hamas]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Al-Quds Brigades says it targets Israeli cities|url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/al-quds-brigades-says-it-targets-israeli-cities/2236103|access-date=2021-05-20|website=www.aa.com.tr}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news|date=2021-05-13|title=Hamas: The Palestinian militant group that rules Gaza|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-13331522|access-date=2021-05-20}}</ref> Currently led by [[Mohammed Deif]] and its deputy, [[Marwan Issa]], IQB is the largest and best-equipped group operating within [[Gaza Strip|Gaza]] today.<ref name=":0" />

Created in mid-1991,<ref name="About Us">{{cite web|url=http://www.qassam.ps/aboutus.html |title=About Us |work=Al-Qassam Brigades Information Office |access-date=28 November 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111223719/http://www.qassam.ps/aboutus.html |archive-date=11 November 2014 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> it was at the time concerned with blocking the [[Oslo Accords]] negotiations.<ref>{{cite book |title=A history of the modern Middle East |last=Cleveland |first=William L. |year=1999 |publisher=Westview Press |isbn=978-0-8133-3489-9 |page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofmodernm00clev/page/494 494] |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofmodernm00clev |url-access=registration |access-date=8 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121231035019/https://archive.org/details/historyofmodernm00clev |archive-date=31 December 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.meforum.org/516/the-challenge-of-hamas-to-fatah|title=The Challenge of Hamas to Fatah|journal=The Middle East Quarterly|date=2003|access-date=3 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110123029/http://www.meforum.org/516/the-challenge-of-hamas-to-fatah|archive-date=10 January 2015|url-status=live|last1=Schanzer|first1=Jonathan}}</ref> From 1994 to 2000, the Al-Qassam Brigades has claimed responsibility for carrying out a number of attacks against [[Israelis]].<ref name=":0" />

At the beginning of the [[Second Intifada]], the group became a central target of [[Israel]]. The group's strength and its ability to carry out complex and lethal attacks surprised many observers. The Al-Qassam Brigades operated several cells in the [[West Bank]], but most of them were destroyed by 2004 following numerous [[Operation Defensive Shield|operations]] of the [[Israeli Defense Forces]] (IDF) in the region.{{Citation needed|date=November 2008}} In contrast, Hamas retained a forceful presence in the [[Gaza Strip]], generally considered its stronghold. [[Yahya Sinwar]], Hamas political leader in the Gaza Strip since February 2017, is a military leader in the Brigades in Gaza.<ref name="Beaumont">{{Cite news|last=Beaumont |first=Peter |title=Hamas elects hardliner Yahya Sinwar as its Gaza Strip chief |date=13 February 2017 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/13/hamas-elects-hardliner-yahya-sinwar-as-its-gaza-strip-chief |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170213150750/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/13/hamas-elects-hardliner-yahya-sinwar-as-its-gaza-strip-chief |archive-date=13 February 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Balousha">{{Cite news |last1=Balousha |first1=Hazam |last2=Booth |first2=William |date=13 February 2017 |title=Hamas names hard-liner as its new political leader in Gaza |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/hamas-names-hard-liner-as-its-new-political-leader-in-gaza-/2017/02/13/b4e31518-f1f6-11e6-9fb1-2d8f3fc9c0ed_story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170213183423/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/hamas-names-hard-liner-as-its-new-political-leader-in-gaza-/2017/02/13/b4e31518-f1f6-11e6-9fb1-2d8f3fc9c0ed_story.html |archive-date=13 February 2017 |url-status=live |access-date=2 April 2018 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

The Al-Qassam Brigades are explicitly listed as a terrorist organization by the [[Palestine–European Union relations|European Union]],<ref name=councild>{{cite web|url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2005/l_340/l_34020051223en00640066.pdf |title=Council Decision of 21 December 2005 |publisher=Eur-Lex |date=2005 |access-date=15 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090924025231/http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2005/l_340/l_34020051223en00640066.pdf |archive-date=24 September 2009 |df=dmy}}</ref> [[Foreign relations of Australia|Australia]],<ref name="AU" /> [[Foreign relations of New Zealand|New Zealand]],<ref name="NZ-r1373-terrorlist">{{cite web |url=http://www.police.govt.nz/advice/personal-community/counterterrorism/designated-entities/lists-associated-with-resolution-1373 |title=Lists associated with Resolution 1373 |publisher=New Zealand Police |date=20 July 2014 |access-date=16 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180102210429/http://www.police.govt.nz/advice/personal-community/counterterrorism/designated-entities/lists-associated-with-resolution-1373 |archive-date=2 January 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Egypt–Palestine relations|Egypt]],<ref name=":3">{{in lang|fr}} [http://www.rts.ch/info/monde/6504908-la-branche-armee-du-hamas-palestinien-declaree-terroriste-en-egypte.html La branche armée du Hamas palestinien déclarée "terroriste" en Egypte]</ref> and the [[Palestine–United Kingdom relations|United Kingdom]].<ref name=":4">{{cite act |title=[[Terrorism Act 2000]] |number=11 |year=2000 |article=2 |articletype=Schedule |url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/11/schedule/2 |access-date=28 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121085241/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/11/schedule/2 |archive-date=21 January 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web|title=Proscribed terrorist groups or organisations|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/proscribed-terror-groups-or-organisations--2/proscribed-terrorist-groups-or-organisations-accessible-version|access-date=2021-05-20|website=GOV.UK|language=en}}</ref> Though not explicitly mentioning IQB, the [[Palestine–United States relations|United States]]<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|title=Foreign Terrorist Organizations|url=https://www.state.gov/foreign-terrorist-organizations/|access-date=2021-05-20|website=United States Department of State|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{cite web|date=April 2005|title=Country Reports on Terrorism 2004|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/45313.pdf|access-date=2014-08-02|publisher=U.S. State Department}}</ref> and [[Canada]]<ref name=":8">"[https://jihadintel.meforum.org/group/66/al-qassam-brigades Al-Qassam Brigades | Database]." ''Jihad Intel''. [[Middle East Forum]]. Retrieved 2021 May 20.</ref> have designated its parent entity, Hamas, as a terrorist organization;<ref name=":9">{{Cite web|date=2018-12-21|title=Currently listed entities|url=https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/ntnl-scrt/cntr-trrrsm/lstd-ntts/crrnt-lstd-ntts-en.aspx#25|access-date=2021-05-20|website=www.publicsafety.gc.ca}}</ref> Brigade leader Mohammed Deif has also been classified as a [[Specially Designated Global Terrorist]] by the US under [[Executive Order 13224]].<ref name=":10">"[https://www.treasury.gov/ofac/downloads/sdnlist.pdf Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List]." U.S. Department of the Treasury. 2021 May 20. Retrieved 2021 May 20.</ref><ref name=":11">{{Cite web|title=Executive Order 13224|url=https://www.state.gov/executive-order-13224/|access-date=2021-05-20|website=United States Department of State|language=en}}</ref> As the Brigades undertake military activity on behalf of Hamas, "organized terrorist activities associated with Hamas can be reliably attributed to the Brigades."<ref name="AU" />

==Overview==
The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades is the military wing of the [[Palestinian nationalism|Palestinian]] organization [[Hamas]], operating in the [[Gaza Strip]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> It is currently led by [[Mohammed Deif]] and its deputy, [[Marwan Issa]].<ref name=":0" />[[File:Izz ad-Din al-Qassam.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Izz ad-Din al-Qassam]]]]
The Al-Qassam Brigades is named after [[Izz ad-Din al-Qassam]], a [[Muslim]] preacher and ''[[mujahid]]'' in [[Mandatory Palestine]].<ref name="About Us" /><ref name="segev" /> In 1930, al-Qassam organised and established the [[Black Hand (Mandatory Palestine)|Black Hand]], a militant organisation that was opposed to [[Zionism]] and British and French rule in the [[Levant]].<ref name=segev>{{cite book |last=Segev |first=Tom |author-link=Tom Segev |title=One Palestine, Complete |year=1999 |publisher=Metropolitan Books |isbn=0-8050-4848-0 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/onepalestinecomp00sege/page/360 360–362] |url=https://archive.org/details/onepalestinecomp00sege/page/360}}</ref>

According to the Al-Qassam Brigades, its aims are:

:To contribute in the effort of liberating [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] and restoring the rights of the [[Palestinian people]] under the sacred Islamic teachings of the [[Holy Quran]], the [[Sunnah]] (traditions) of [[Prophet Muhammad]] ([[Peace be upon him (Islam)|peace and blessings of Allah be upon him]]) and the traditions of Muslims rulers and scholars noted for their piety and dedication.<ref name="About Us" />
In summary, the Brigades seek to establish an [[Islamic state|Islamist state]] of [[State of Palestine|Palestine]], comprising [[Gaza Strip|Gaza]], the [[West Bank]], and [[Israel]]—ending Israel as a [[political entity]] in the process.<ref name="AU" />

==Organisation and structure==
<!-- [[WP:NFCC]] violation: [[File:Salah Shehade.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Salah Shehade]], late leader of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades]] -->
The Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades are an integral part of Hamas. While they are subordinate to Hamas's broad political goals and its ideological objectives, they have a significant level of independence in decision making.<ref name="AU">"[https://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/Listedterroristorganisations/Pages/HamassIzzal-Dinal-QassamBrigades.aspx al-Qassam Brigades: Details of the organisation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521092637/https://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/Listedterroristorganisations/Pages/HamassIzzal-Dinal-QassamBrigades.aspx |date=21 May 2019 }}." ''Australian National Security''. [[Australian Government]]. updated 2018. Retrieved 2021 May 20. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110822125618/http://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/agd/WWW/nationalsecurity.nsf/Page/What_Governments_are_doing_Listing_of_Terrorism_Organisations_Hamas%26apos Archived] from the original on 22 August 2011.</ref> In 1997, political scientists Ilana Kass and Bard O'Neill described Hamas' relationship with the Brigades as reminiscent of [[Sinn Féin]]'s relationship to the military arm of the [[Irish Republican Army]] and quoted a senior Hamas official: "The Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigade is a separate armed military wing, which has its own leaders who do not take their orders [from Hamas] and do not tell us of their plans in advance."<ref name="books.google.com">[https://books.google.com/books?id=ApANDp1XzmgC&dq=hamas+qassam+brigades+independent&source=gbs_navlinks_s ''The Deadly Embrace: The Impact of Israeli and Palestinian Rejectionism on the Peace Process''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505130917/https://books.google.com/books?id=ApANDp1XzmgC&dq=hamas+qassam+brigades+independent&source=gbs_navlinks_s |date=5 May 2016}} University Press of America, Ilana Kass & Bard E. O'Neill, 1997, p. 267</ref> Carrying the IRA analogy further, Kass and O'Neill stated that the separation of the political and military wings shielded Hamas' political leaders from responsibility for terrorism while the [[plausible deniability]] this provided made Hamas an eligible representative for peace negotiations as had happened with Sinn Féin's [[Gerry Adams]].<ref>Kass & O'Neill Pg 268</ref>

The fighters' identities and positions in the group often remain secret until their death; even when they fight against Israeli incursions, all the militants wear a characteristic black hood on which the group's green headband is attached. The Brigades operate on a model of independent cells and even high-ranking members are often unaware of the activities of other cells. This allows the group to consistently regenerate after member deaths. During the Al-Aqsa Intifada, the leaders of the group were targeted by numerous airstrikes that killed many members, including [[Salah Shahade]] and [[Adnan al-Ghoul]]. The current leader of the Brigades, [[Mohammed Deif]], remains at large and is said to have survived at least five assassination attempts.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2284055.stm|publisher=BBC News|title=Profile: Hamas commander Mohammed Deif|date=26 September 2002|access-date=5 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090830165314/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2284055.stm|archive-date=30 August 2009|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Notable members ===
*[[Mohammed Deif]]
*[[Marwan Issa]]
*[[Yahya Ayash]]
*[[Adnan al-Ghoul]]
*[[Salah Shahade]]
*[[Wa'el Nassar]]
*[[Ahmed Jabari]]
*[[Salama Hamad]]
*[[Imad Abbas]]
*[[Imad Akel]]
*[[Nidal Fat'hi Rabah Farahat]]
*[[Abu Obeida]], spokesman
*[[Yunis al-Astal]]<ref name="Jeroen179">Jeroen Gunning; p. 179; ''Hamas in Politics: Democracy, Religion, Violence'', Columbia University Press, 2008, {{ISBN|0-231-70044-X}}</ref>
*[[Muhammad Nazami Nasser]]<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lieber|first=Dov|title=Co-founder of Hamas military wing issues startling apology to Palestinians|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/co-founder-of-hamas-military-wing-issues-startling-apology-to-palestinians/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161023181112/http://www.timesofisrael.com/co-founder-of-hamas-military-wing-issues-startling-apology-to-palestinians/|archive-date=23 October 2016|access-date=2019-07-16|website=Times of Israel|language=en-US}}</ref>

==History==
===Background===
In 1984, Sheikh [[Ahmed Yassin]], [[Ibrahim al-Makadmeh|Ibrahim al-Makhadmeh]], Sheikh [[Salah Shehade|Salah Shehada]], and others began preparing for the establishment of an armed organization to resist [[Israeli Occupation of Palestine|Israeli control]], with a focus on acquiring weapons for future [[Palestinian resistance|resistance activities]]. Members of the group were, however, arrested and the weapons were confiscated.<ref name="About Us" />

In 1986, Shehada formed a network of resistance cells, called ''al-Mujahidun al-Filastiniun'' ('Palestinian fighters'), who targeted Israeli troops and "traitors." This network operated until 1989, with their most famous operation being the kidnapping and killing of two Israeli soldiers: [[Killing of Avi Sasportas and Ilan Saadon|Avi Sasportas and Ilan Saadon]].<ref name="About Us" /><ref>Najib, Mohammad, and Roland Friedrich. 2007. "Non-Statutory Armed Groups and Security Sector Governance." Pp. 101–27 in ''Entry-points to Palestinian Security Sector Reform'', edited by R. Friedrich and A. Luethold. ISBN 978-9-292-22061-7.</ref>

Hamas was officially established soon after, on 14 December 1987, forming other similar networks as ''al-Mujahidun al-Filastiniun'', such as the [[Abdullah Azzam Brigades]]. In mid-1991, in during the [[First Intifada|First Palestinian Intifada]] (1987-1994), the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades was established to provide [[Hamas]] with a [[paramilitary]] capability, thereafter becoming known as the armed branch of Hamas.<ref name="About Us" /><ref name="AU" />

===Contemporary operations and activities===
The international community, and more specifically the [[Palestine and the United Nations|United Nations]], considers the practice of war combatants to turn civilians into [[human shields]] as a violation of the [[Geneva Conventions]] standards of war,<ref name="a7-doubleWarCrime">{{cite web|last1=Berger|first1=Yosef Ari Soffer|title=Seeking Human Shields, Hamas Tells Gazans to Ignore IDF Warnings|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/182741|publisher=Arutz Sheva|access-date=10 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140712231209/http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/182741|archive-date=12 July 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="CNN-doubleWarCrime">{{cite web|last1=Sidner|first1=Josh Levs, Sara, and Talal Abu-Rahma|title=Rockets pound Israel, Gaza as Netanyahu alleges 'double war crime'|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2012/11/15/world/meast/gaza-israel-strike/|publisher=CNN.com|access-date=10 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714161316/http://edition.cnn.com/2012/11/15/world/meast/gaza-israel-strike/|archive-date=14 July 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="JP-dobleWarCrime">{{cite web|last1=Keinon|first1=Herb|title=As casualties in Gaza rise, PM accuses Hamas of double war crime|url=http://www.jpost.com/Operation-Protective-Edge/As-casualties-in-Gaza-rise-PM-accuses-Hamas-of-double-war-crime-362160|website=The Jerusalem Post|access-date=10 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140710113108/http://www.jpost.com/Operation-Protective-Edge/As-casualties-in-Gaza-rise-PM-accuses-Hamas-of-double-war-crime-362160|archive-date=10 July 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> and considers indiscriminate attacks (e.g., by [[Qassam rocket|rockets]] or [[Suicide attack|suicide bombers]])<ref name="rwkckb07">{{cite journal|last=Kurz|first=Robert W.|author2=Charles K. Bartles|title=Chechen suicide bombers|journal=Journal of Slavic Military Studies|year=2007|volume=20|issue=4|pages=529–547|doi=10.1080/13518040701703070|url=http://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a477845.pdf|access-date=30 August 2012|publisher=Routledge|s2cid=96476266|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011185147/http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a477845.pdf|archive-date=11 October 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> on civilian populations as [[Geneva conventions#Protocols|illegal under international law]].<ref name="ICRC-humanShieldsArt51">{{cite web|title=Protection of the civilian population|url=http://www.icrc.org/ihl/WebART/470-750065|website=Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I), 8 June 1977.|publisher=International Committee of the Red Cross|access-date=10 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714143327/http://www.icrc.org/ihl/WebART/470-750065|archive-date=14 July 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

The IQB's transition into a recognised militant organisation began during the establishment of the [[Oslo Accords]] to assist [[Hamas]] efforts in blocking them.<ref name="yousef57">{{cite book|last=Yousef|first=Mosab|title=Son of Hamas|year=2009|publisher=Tyndale Housing Publisher|page=57}}</ref> In 2003 and 2004, the Brigades in Gaza resisted incursions by the [[Israel Defense Forces]] (IDF), including the [[Operation days of penitence|siege of Jabalya]] in October 2004. However, these battles took a heavy toll in the IQB's ranks, which suffered heavy losses. The group, however, continued to gain strength and remained capable of carrying out attacks in the following years. The Brigades can count on a large pool of people willing to join them {{Citation needed|date=August 2014}}, smuggle in supplies and provide the fighters with homemade weapons such as the [[al-Bana]], the [[Batar]], the [[Yasin (RPG)|Yasin]] and the [[Qassam rocket]].<ref name="AU" />

In early 2005, the Al-Qassam Brigades appeared to stand by a truce negotiated between the government of Israel and the [[Palestinian Authority]]. However the Brigades took advantage of the truce to regroup.{{Citation needed|date=July 2012}} Following [[Israel's unilateral disengagement plan|Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip]] in August 2005, the Al-Qassam Brigades staged several rallies in which they displayed thousands of fighters and an assortment of weaponry in Gaza. These celebrations ended abruptly when, on 23 September, twenty Palestinians were killed as a car carrying [[Qassam rockets]] exploded among a dense crowd. Since this incident, the brigades refrained from staging public displays of force as well as launching attacks at Israel, which, in turn, refrained from targeting Hamas members in assassinations and raids. Despite occasional and brief flare-ups of violence, the brigades generally respected this truce until the beginning of June 2006. The Palestinian Authority has been, during this period, under intense pressure from Israel and the [[Quartet on the Middle East|Middle East Quartet]] to disarm Hamas, but fears of heavy resistance from the Al-Qassam Brigades and a possible civil war, coupled with a victory of the movement in the 2006 legislative elections, prevented any such attempts. As a result, it is widely believed that the brigades stockpiled thousands of homemade weapons and projectiles during 2005 and 2006 and were actively attempting to rebuild their destroyed cells in the [[West Bank]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2008}}

Also in 2005, President [[Mahmoud Abbas]] had taken direct control of the [[Palestinian Security Services|PA security forces]] which was loyal to the president's [[Fatah]] movement, and the Hamas government formed a separate 3,000-strong paramilitary police force in the Gaza Strip, called [[Palestinian Security Services#Executive Force|Executive Force]],<ref>{{Cite news|last=border|first=Tim Butcher on Israel-Gaza|date=2009-01-05|title=Hamas fighters now a well-organised force|language=en-GB|journal=Daily Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/4127074/Hamas-fighters-now-a-well-organised-force.html|url-status=live|access-date=2019-07-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927085759/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/4127074/Hamas-fighters-now-a-well-organised-force.html|archive-date=27 September 2018|issn=0307-1235}}</ref> which was made up of members of the Al-Qassam Brigades.<ref name="pss_reform_p22">Friedrich and Luethold–2007, p. 22</ref><ref>[http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Hamas-to-expand-Executive-Force "Hamas to expand 'Executive Force'"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180529024813/https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Hamas-to-expand-Executive-Force|date=29 May 2018}}. ''Jerusalem Post'', 21 December 2006<br />"The Executive Force, which was established a few months ago by Interior Minister Said Siam of Hamas, today includes nearly 3,000 members."</ref><ref name="miftah-2006">[http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=10400&CategoryId=21 "The Palestinian Security Services: Past and Present"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170703021701/http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=10400&CategoryId=21|date=3 July 2017}}. MIFTAH, 30 May 2006</ref><ref name="nyt_deploy_force">[https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/18/world/middleeast/18mideast.html "Hamas-Led Government Deploys Security Force, Defying Abbas"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180528052254/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/18/world/middleeast/18mideast.html|date=28 May 2018}}. ''New York Times'', 17 May 2006</ref>

In May 2006, a police force was formed in Gaza, consisting of thousands of Brigade fighters. It aimed to restore law and order in the city but instead broke out into clashes with [[Fatah]] militias.{{Citation needed|date=November 2008}} On 10 June 2006, after the [[Gaza beach blast]] in which seven civilians died, the Brigades announced a cessation of the 2005 truce with Israel. In the following hours, they claimed responsibility for launching Qassam rockets at the Israeli town of [[Sderot]], and threatened to step up their attacks.{{Citation needed|date=November 2008}}

In June and July 2006, the Al-Qassam Brigades were involved in the operation which led to the capture of Israeli soldier [[Gilad Shalit]], and in the subsequent heavy fighting in the Gaza Strip following [[Operation Summer Rains]], launched by the IDF. It was the first time in over 18 months that the brigades were actively involved in fighting against Israeli soldiers. In May 2007, the brigades acknowledged they lost 192 fighters during the operation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alqassam.ps/arabic/wfaa_alahrar/sohdaa1.htm |title= |website=www.alqassam.ps |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070528131219/http://www.alqassam.ps/arabic/wfaa_alahrar/sohdaa1.htm |archive-date=28 May 2007}}</ref>

In January 2007, Abbas outlawed the Executive Force and ordered that its then-6,000 members be incorporated into the PA security forces under his command. The order was resisted by the Hamas government,<ref name="Boston_Globe">[https://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2007/01/07/abbas_outlaws_hamass_paramilitary_executive_force/ "Abbas outlaws Hamas's paramilitary Executive Force"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070117133554/http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2007/01/07/abbas_outlaws_hamass_paramilitary_executive_force/ |date=17 January 2007}}. Richard Boudreaux, ''The Boston Globe'', 7 January 2007</ref> which instead announced plans to double the size of the force to 12,000 men.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6237473.stm "Hamas defiant on 'illegal' force"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180528055319/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6237473.stm |date=28 May 2018}}. BBC News, 6 January 2007</ref> The Al-Qassam Brigades and the Executive Force took part in the [[Battle of Gaza (2007)|Hamas takeover of Gaza]] in June 2007.

In June 2008, Egypt brokered a ceasefire, which lasted until 4 November when Israeli forces crossed into Gaza and killed six Hamas fighters; this resulted in an increase in rocket attacks on Israel, going from two in September and October to 190 in November. Both sides claimed the other had broken the truce.<ref name="AU" /> The continuing rocket fire into Israel led to the [[Gaza War (2008–09)]] in late December 2008.

==Armed strength==
Since its establishment in December 1987, the military capability of the Brigades has increased markedly, from rifles to [[Qassam rocket]]s and more.<ref name="washington">"Hamas's Tactics: Lessons from Recent Attacks", by Jamie Chosak and Julie Sawyer. The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. 19 October 2005</ref>

The Brigades have a substantial inventory of light automatic weapons and [[grenade]]s, improvised rockets, [[Mortar (weapon)|mortars]], [[bomb]]s, [[Explosive belt|suicide belts]], and [[explosives]]. The group engages in [[Military training|military-style training]], including training that takes place in Gaza itself on a range of weapons designed to inflict significant casualties on civilian and military targets.<ref name="aus">[https://web.archive.org/web/20220602115752/https://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/agd/WWW/nationalsecurity.nsf/Page/What_Governments_are_doing_Listing_of_Terrorism_Organisations_Hamas&apos%3C Hamas's Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades]</ref>

The Brigades also have a variety of [[anti-tank guided missile]]s including the [[9M133 Kornet|Kornet-E]], [[9M113 Konkurs|Konkurs-M]], [[9K111 Fagot|Bulsae-2]] (North Korean version of Fagot), [[9K11 Malyutka]] and [[MILAN]] missiles, as well as [[Man-portable air-defense system|shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles]] (MANPADS), such as the [[Strela 2|SA-7B]], [[9K38 Igla|SA-18 Igla]] missiles, and it is believed a number of [[9K38 Igla|SA-24 Igla-S]] that it received from Libya.

While the number of members is known only to the Brigades leadership, in 2011 Israel estimated that the Brigades have a cadre of several hundred members who receive [[Military training|military-style training]], including training in [[Iran]] and [[Syria]].<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web|url=http://www.ag.gov.au/agd/WWW/nationalsecurity.nsf/Page/What_Governments_are_doing_Listing_of_Terrorism_Organisations_Hamas&apos |title=Hamas's Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades |publisher=AG |access-date=1 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805034535/http://www.ag.gov.au/agd/WWW/nationalsecurity.nsf/Page/What_Governments_are_doing_Listing_of_Terrorism_Organisations_Hamas%26apos |archive-date=5 August 2011 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Additionally, the Brigades have an estimated 30,000 operatives "of varying degrees of skill and professionalism" who are members of the internal security forces, Hamas, and their supporters. These operatives can be expected to reinforce the Brigades in an "emergency situation."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110805071320/http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Terror+Groups/The%20HAMAS%20Terror%20Organization%20-%202007%20update The HAMAS Terror Organization – 2007 update]  Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs</ref> Other sources estimate their strength at 30,000-50,000.<ref name="middleeasteye.net">{{cite web|last1=Omer|first1=Mohammed|title=Hamas growing in military stature, say analysts|url=http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/hamas-gains-credibility-fighting-force-analysts-say-371780262|website=Middle East Eye|access-date=17 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140721020702/http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/hamas-gains-credibility-fighting-force-analysts-say-371780262|archive-date=21 July 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to a statement by CIA director [[George Tenet]] in 2000 possibly referring to the Brigades, Hamas has pursued a capability to conduct [[Chemical terrorism|attacks with toxic chemicals]].<ref name="washington"/> There have been reports of Hamas operatives planning and preparing attacks incorporating chemicals. In one case, nails and bolts packed into explosives detonated by a Hamas suicide bomber in a December 2001 attack in the [[Ben-Yehuda street]] in [[Jerusalem]] were soaked in [[rat poison]].<ref name="washington" /> In 2014 they launched the first [[State of Palestine|Palestinian]] reconnaissance ([[unmanned aerial vehicle|UAV]]) aircraft called [[Ababeel1]].

==List of the Brigades' attacks against Israeli targets==
{| class="wikitable"
|+Attacks following the [[First Intifada]] of 1987–1993
!Date
!Event
!Killed
!Injured
!Responsibility claimed
|-
|16 April 1993
|a Hamas suicide car bomb killed two in [[Mehola Junction bombing]].
|
|
|
|-
|19 October 1994
|a [[suicide bomber]] detonates on a bus in [[Tel Aviv]]<ref name="Moravitz">Anthony Cordesman and Jennifer Moravitz ''The Israeli-Palestinian War: Escalating to Nowhere'' [[Greenwood Publishing Group]] 2005 {{ISBN|9780275987589}} Pg 24</ref>
|22 
|56
|Hamas 
|-
|25 December 1994
|a suicide bomber detonates at a bus stop in [[Jerusalem]]<ref name="Moravitz" />
|
|12
|
|-
|9 April 1995
|two suicide bombers detonate in Gaza<ref name="Moravitz Pg 25">Moravitz Pg 25</ref>
|8 (1 American + 7 IDF soldiers)
|50
|Hamas 
|-
|21 August 1995
|a suicide bomber detonates on a bus<ref name="Moravitz Pg 25" />
|5 (1 American + 4 IDF soldiers)
|100
|Hamas 
|-
|9 September 1996
|the abduction and murder of IDF soldier [[Sharon Edri]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3154157,00.html|title=Senior Hamas fugitive nabbed|newspaper=Ynetnews|date=11 October 2005|last1=Weiss|first1=Efrat}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thejewishweek.com/features/abduction_weapon|title=Abduction as a Weapon}}</ref>
|1
|
|
|-
|21 March 1997
|a Hamas suicide bomber detonated at a Tel Aviv sidewalk café.<ref name="Moravitz Pg 25" />
|3 women
|46
|
|-
|4 September 1997
|three suicide bombers detonate in Jerusalem.<ref name="Moravitz Pg 26">Moravitz Pg 26</ref>
|4
|up to 200
|Hamas 
|-
|27 August 1998
|a bomb in a garbage bin explodes in Tel Aviv during [[rush hour]]<ref name="Moravitz Pg 26" />
|
|14
|Hamas 
|-
|19 October 1998
|two grenades thrown into a crowd at the [[Beersheba|Be'er Sheva]] bus station during rush hour.<ref name="Moravitz Pg 27">Moravitz Pg 27</ref>
|
|59
|Hamas 
|-
|29 October 1998
|a Hamas suicide car bomber attempts to ram a school bus head-on near the [[Gush Katif]] Junction. An IDF jeep escorting the bus blocked the bomber who detonated the vehicle, killing the driver of the jeep and injuring 2 others. Six people in the bus received light injuries.<ref name="Moravitz Pg 27" />
|1
|8
|
|-
! colspan="2" |Total
!44
!545
!
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Attacks following the [[Second Intifada]] (September 2000 – 2005)
!Date
!Event
!Killed
!Injured
!Responsibility claimed
|-
|1 January 2001
|a Hamas suicide car bomber detonates in the city of [[Netanya]]. One victim died 7 days later.<ref name="PHRMG">[http://www.phrmg.org/monitor2001/oct2001-israeli_fatalities.htm#Palestinians Suicide Attacks In Israel And The Occupied Territories October 2000 to September 2001] [[Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group]] Data retrieved from [[B'Tselem]] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305014044/http://www.phrmg.org/monitor2001/oct2001-israeli_fatalities.htm#Palestinians|date=5 March 2012}}</ref>
|1
|59
|
|-
|14 February 2001
|a Hamas suicide bomber plowed a bus into a crowd and detonated.<ref>{{cite web|title=Major Palestinian Terror Attacks Since Oslo|url=http://www.radiobergen.org/terrorism/terror_attacks_01.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140908020246/http://www.radiobergen.org/terrorism/terror_attacks_01.htm|archive-date=8 September 2014|access-date=2012-11-15|publisher=Radio Bergen|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
|8
|21
|
|-
|4 March 2001
|a Hamas suicide bomber detonates in the city of Netanya.<ref name="PHRMG" />
|3
|68
|
|-
|28 March 2001
|a Hamas suicide bomber blew himself up amidst a group of students waiting at a bus stop in [[Qalqilya]] in the [[West Bank]].<ref name="PHRMG" />
|2
|4
|
|-
|22 April 2001
|a Hamas suicide bomber blew himself up [[Kfar Saba]].<ref name="PHRMG" />
|1
|50
|
|-
|18 May 2001
|a Hamas suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance of a shopping mall in the city of Netanya.<ref name="PHRMG" />
|5
|100+
|
|-
|1 June 2001
|[[Dolphinarium massacre]] — a suicide bomber linked to Hamas denotes outside a Tel Aviv nightclub.<ref>{{cite news|last=O'Sullivan|first=Arieh|date=25 November 2001|title=No. 1 Hamas terrorist killed. Followers threaten revenge in Tel Aviv.|publisher=Jerusalem Post|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-48416289.html|url-status=dead|access-date=30 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023030542/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-48416289.html|archive-date=23 October 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Fisher|first=Ian|date=29 January 2006|title=In Hamas's Overt Hatred, Many Israelis See Hope|work=New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/29/international/middleeast/29israel.html|access-date=30 January 2009}}</ref>
|21 (16 teens)
|76
|
|-
|9 August 2001
|[[Sbarro restaurant suicide bombing]] — a suicide bomber detonates in Jerusalem.
|15
|130
|Hamas
|-
|4 September 2001
|a Hamas suicide bomber detonates in [[West Jerusalem]].<ref name="PHRMG" />
|
|15
|
|-
|26 November 2001
|a suicide bomber detonates at the [[Erez Crossing]].<ref name="Stork">Joe Stork ''Erased in a Moment: Suicide Bombing Attacks Against Israeli Civilians'' [[Human Rights Watch]] 2002 {{ISBN|9781564322807}} Pg 143</ref>
|
|2
|Hamas
|-
|1 December 2001
|two suicide bombers detonated one after the other followed by a car bomb in a mall in West Jerusalem.<ref name="Stork" />
|11
|130+
|Hamas
|-
|2 December 2001
|a suicide bomber boarded an Israeli bus traveling from the [[Nave Sha'anan, Haifa|Nave Sha'anan]] district in [[Haifa]]; paying the driver with a large bill, he then blew himself.<ref name="Stork" />
|15
|40
|Hamas
|-
|9 March 2002
|a suicide bomber explodes in the crowded Moment café in the center of [[Jerusalem]].<ref>Stork Pg 145</ref>
|11
|54 (10 serious)
|Hamas
|-
|31 March 2002
|[[Matza restaurant massacre]] — a suicide bomber detonates in an Arab restaurant in Haifa.<ref name="Stork Pg 146">Stork Pg 146</ref>
|15
|40+
|Hamas
|-
|10 April 2002
|a suicide bombing on a bus near [[Kibbutz]] [[Yagur]], east of Haifa.<ref name="Stork Pg 146" />
|8 (6 IDF soldiers + 2 civilians)
|22
|Hamas
|-
|7 May 2002
|a suicide bombing in a crowded pool hall in [[Rishon Lezion]], southeast of Tel-Aviv.<ref name="Stork Pg 147">Stork Pg 147</ref>
|16
|55
|Hamas
|-
|19 May 2002
|a suicide bomber disguised as a soldier, blew himself up in the market in [[Netanya]].<ref name="Stork Pg 147" />
|3
|59
|Hamas and the [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine|PFLP]]
|-
|18 June 2002
|[[Patt junction massacre]] — a suicide bomber detonates on a bus in Jerusalem.
|19 
|74+
|Hamas
|-
|16 July 2002
|a terrorist attack on a bus traveling from [[Bnei Brak]] to [[Emmanuel, Israel|Emmanuel]], wherein an explosive charge was detonated next to the bullet-resistant bus. The terrorists waited in ambush, reportedly wearing Israeli army uniforms, and opened fire on the bus.<ref>[http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2002/7/Terrorist+attack+on+bus+at+Emmanuel+-+July+16-+200.htm?WBCMODE=PresenHaim+Oron Terrorist attack on bus at Emmanuel – 16 July 2002] Israel Ministry of foreign affairs {{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
|9
|20
|Hamas, [[Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades|Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades]], and the [[DFLP]]
|-
|31 July 2002
|a cell-phone detonated bomb exploded in the Frank Sinatra student center cafeteria on the [[Hebrew University]]'s [[Mt. Scopus]] campus.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/01/international/middleeast/01CND-MIDE.html Bush Is 'Furious' at American Toll in Latest Bombing] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307064445/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/01/international/middleeast/01CND-MIDE.html|date=7 March 2016}} [[New York Times]] 1 August 2002</ref>
|9 (5 Americans)
|85
|Hamas (expressed regret for the American deaths)
|-
|4 August 2002
|a suicide bombing of an [[Egged (company)|Egged]] bus takes place at the [[Meron, Israel|Meron]] junction in the [[Galilee]].<ref>Stork Pg 148</ref>
|9
|~50
|Hamas
|-
|27 February 2008
|during February 2008, 257 rockets and 228 mortars were fired from the Gaza Strip into the western Negev causing 5 injuries, and on 27 February, the death of a 47-year-old student at [[Sapir College]]. Hamas has previously claimed responsibility for rocket barrages.<ref>[http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Templates/ArticleFix.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRNODEGUID=%7B5731EA5E-515E-480D-98BC-902E1F826F7A%7D&NRORIGINALURL=%2FMFA%2FTerrorism-%2BObstacle%2Bto%2BPeace%2FHamas%2Bwar%2Bagainst%2BIsrael%2FThe%2BHamas%2Bwar%2Bagainst%2BIsrael%2BDiary%2B-%2BFebruary%2B2008.htm%3FWBCMODE%3DPresentationUnpublishedPassover%2B2006&NRCACHEHINT=Guest&WBCMODE=PresentationUnpublishedPassover+2006 The Hamas war against Israel: A Diary – February 2008] Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs {{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
|1
|
|Hamas
|-
! colspan="2" |Total
!182
!1,104+
!
|}

==Leaders killed by Israel or other causes==
On 5 January 1996, Israel's [[Shin Bet]] arranged for a cell phone that was both bugged and contained explosives be given to [[Yahya Ayyash]]. When it was confirmed that it was Ayyash on the phone, Shin Bet remotely detonated it, killing Ayyash instantly.{{citation needed|date=May 2016}}

On 3 September 2005, after Israel's withdrawal from settlements in the Gaza Strip, the Al-Qassam Brigrades revealed for the first time the names and functions of its commanders on its website as well as in a printed bulletin distributed to Palestinians.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl%3Dstory%26u%3D%2Fap%2F20050903%2Fap_on_re_mi_ea%2Fisrael_palestinians_27 |access-date=2005-09-04 |df=dmy |title=Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181120032332/https://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl%3Dstory%26u%3D%2Fap%2F20050903%2Fap_on_re_mi_ea%2Fisrael_palestinians_27 |archive-date=20 November 2018 |url-status=live }} <!--access-date=4 September 2005-->{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Most of the information published, including pictures of three leaders, was reportedly already known by [[Mossad|Israel's intelligence services]]. According to the bulletin, in 2006 [[Mohammed Deif]] was overall commander with [[Ahmed Ja'abari]] as second in command. Other sub-commanders controlled Gaza City ([[Raid Said]]), the northern Gaza Strip and Jabalya refugee camp ([[Ahmad al-Ghandur]]), southern Gaza Strip ([[Muhammad Abu Shamala]]), and [[Khan Yunis|Khan Younis]] ([[Muhammad al-Sanwar]]).{{Citation needed|date=July 2012}}

On 12 July 2006, the [[Israeli Air Force]] bombed a house in the [[Sheikh Radwan]] neighborhood of Gaza City, where Mohammed Deif, Ahmad al-Ghandur and Raid Said were meeting. The three-story house was completely leveled, killing Hamas official Nabil al-Salmiah, his wife, their five children and two other children. Two of the three brigades leaders present escaped with moderate wounds while Deif received a spinal injury that required four hours of surgery.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120918135325/http://www.wltx.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=39802 Israel's Most Wanted Man Seriously Injured In Bombing] wltx news 12 July 2006</ref>

On 1 January 2009, [[Nizar Rayan]], a top Hamas leader who served as a liaison between the Palestinian organization's political leadership and its military wing, was killed in an Israeli Air Force strike during [[Operation Cast Lead]].<ref>[https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i8zRJWJeLrh3ZOH6yd-Pui1oqekA Israel raids kill Hamas leader, take Gaza death toll past 400] AFP, 1 January 2009 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120408132535/https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i8zRJWJeLrh3ZOH6yd-Pui1oqekA |date=8 April 2012 }}</ref> The day before the attack, Rayan had advocated renewal of [[List of Palestinian suicide attacks|suicide attacks]] on Israel, declaring, "Our only language with the Jew is through the gun".<ref name="nydn">{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/01/01/2009-01-01_israel_fells_key_hamas_strongman_escalat.html|title=Israel fells key Hamas strongman, escalating conflict; says it's ready for ground invasion|date=1 January 2009|work=New York Daily News|access-date=1 January 2009}}</ref> A 2,000-pound bomb was dropped on his house, also killing his 4 wives (Hiam 'Abdul Rahman Rayan, 46; Iman Khalil Rayan, 46; Nawal Isma'il Rayan, 40; and Sherine Sa'id Rayan, 25) and 11 of their children (As'ad, 2; Usama Ibn Zaid, 3; 'Aisha, 3; Reem, 4; Miriam, 5; Halima, 5; 'Abdul Rahman, 6; Abdul Qader, 12; Aaya, 12; Zainab, 15; and Ghassan, 16).<ref name="Reuters">{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSLS69391620090101?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews|title=Israeli strike kills senior Hamas leader|date=1 January 2009|publisher=Reuters|access-date=2 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090101105655/http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSLS69391620090101?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews|archive-date=1 January 2009|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="FOX">{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,474824,00.html|title=Strike Kills Hamas Leader as Israel Demands Global Monitors for Truce|date=1 January 2009|publisher=FOX News|access-date=1 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090104002813/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,474824,00.html|archive-date=4 January 2009|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Harel>{{cite web|title=IDF targets senior Hamas figures|author=Haaretz Correspondents and Agencies, Amos Harel and Yoav Stern|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1052052.html|date=2 January 2009|access-date=2 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122141258/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1052052.html|archive-date=22 January 2009|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=AP>{{cite news|title=Child casualties mount in besieged Gaza |agency=Associated Press |work=International Herald Tribune |date=1 January 2009 |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/01/01/news/ML-Gaza-Children-Casualties.php |access-date=1 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090213154506/http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/01/01/news/ML-Gaza-Children-Casualties.php |archive-date=13 February 2009}}</ref><ref>[http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/PressR/English/2008/125-2008.html IOF Offensive on the Gaza Strip Continues for the 7th Consecutive Day] Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, 15 January 2009 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091013035135/http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/PressR/English/2008/125-2008.html |date=13 October 2009}}</ref>

On 3 January 2009, Israeli aircraft attacked the car in which [[Abu Zakaria al-Jamal]], a leader of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam armed wing, was traveling. He subsequently died of the wounds suffered in the bombing.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jan/03/middleeast-israelandthepalestinians|work=The Guardian|location=London|title=Israeli ground forces cross border into Gaza|first=Chris|last=McGreal|date=3 January 2009|access-date=5 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130905172913/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jan/03/middleeast-israelandthepalestinians|archive-date=5 September 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> The following day, the Israeli Air Force struck and killed in Khan Yunis two senior Brigrade leaders, Hussam Hamdan and Muhammad Hilo, both of whom the Israelis blamed for attacks against Israel. According to Israeli authorities Hamdan was in charge of rocket attacks against [[Beersheba]] and [[Ofakim]], while Hilo was reportedly behind Hamas' special forces in Khan Yunis.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.jpost.com/EditionFrancaise/Home.aspxservlet/Satellite?cid=1230733163611&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull |title=Archived copy |access-date=3 January 2020 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/66OpW1Iie?url=http://www.jpost.com/EditionFrancaise/Home.aspxservlet/Satellite?cid=1230733163611&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull |archive-date=24 March 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On 15 January 2009, the Israeli Air Force bombed a house in [[Jabalia|Jabaliya]], killing a prominent Brigades commander named Mohammed Watfa (the strike targeted the Palestinian Interior Minister [[Said Seyam]], who was also killed).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid%3D1231950866724%26pagename%3DJPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull |title=Archived copy |access-date=2011-02-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203063735/http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1231950866724&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull |archive-date=3 February 2012 |df=dmy}}</ref>

On 30 July 2010, one of the leaders [[Issa Abdul-Hadi Al-Batran]], aged 40, was killed at the [[Nuseirat refugee camp]] in the central Gaza Strip by an Israeli airstrike.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sify.com/news/hamas-leader-killed-in-israeli-airstrike-news-international-kh5vabdbjhh.html?scategory=international|title=Hamas leader killed in Israeli airstrike|publisher=Sify.com|date=31 July 2010|access-date=15 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120928034352/http://www.sify.com/news/hamas-leader-killed-in-israeli-airstrike-news-international-kh5vabdbjhh.html?scategory=international|archive-date=28 September 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On 14 November 2012, [[Ahmed Jaabari]], the head of the Al-Qassam Brigade, was killed along with seven others in Gaza marking the beginning of Israel's "[[Operation Pillar of Defense]]".<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=291779|title=IAF strike kills Hamas military chief Jabari|publisher=[[The Jerusalem Post]]|access-date=15 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114141727/http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=291779|archive-date=14 November 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 21 August 2014, an Israeli air strike killed Muhammad Abu Shamala, the sub-commander of Southern Gaza Strip; [[Raed al Atar]], the commander of the [[Rafah]] company and member of the Hamas high military council; and Mohammed Barhoum.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://in.reuters.com/article/mideast-gaza-idINL5N0QR0P020140821|title=UPDATE 1-Hamas says Israel killed three top Gaza commanders|author=Reuters Editorial|newspaper=Reuters|date=21 August 2014|language=en-IN|access-date=2016-09-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821153935/http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/08/21/mideast-gaza-idINL5N0QR0P020140821|archive-date=21 August 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 30 January 2018, Imad Al-Alami died as a result of injuries sustained while he was inspecting his personal weapon in Gaza City.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-01-30|title=Hamas leader dies after receiving life threatening head injury|url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180130-hamas-leader-dies-after-receiving-life-threatening-head-injury/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180507085517/https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180130-hamas-leader-dies-after-receiving-life-threatening-head-injury/|archive-date=7 May 2018|access-date=2019-07-16|website=Middle East Monitor|language=en-GB}}</ref>

== International response ==
The international community, and more specifically the [[Palestine and the United Nations|United Nations]], considers the practice of war combatants to turn civilians into [[human shields]] as a violation of the [[Geneva Conventions]] standards of war,<ref name="a7-doubleWarCrime" /><ref name="CNN-doubleWarCrime" /><ref name="JP-dobleWarCrime" /> and considers indiscriminate attacks (e.g., by [[Qassam rocket|rockets]] or [[Suicide attack|suicide bombers]])<ref name="rwkckb07" /> on civilian populations as [[Geneva conventions#Protocols|illegal under international law]].<ref name="ICRC-humanShieldsArt51" />

As the Brigades undertake military activity on behalf of Hamas, "organized terrorist activities associated with Hamas can be reliably attributed to the Brigades."<ref name="AU" />

The Al-Qassam Brigades are explicitly listed as a terrorist organization by the [[Palestine–European Union relations|European Union]],<ref name="councild" /> [[Foreign relations of Australia|Australia]],<ref name="AU" /> [[Foreign relations of New Zealand|New Zealand]],<ref name="NZ-r1373-terrorlist" /> [[Egypt–Palestine relations|Egypt]],<ref name=":3" /> and the [[Palestine–United Kingdom relations|United Kingdom]].<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /> Though not explicitly mentioning IQB, the [[Palestine–United States relations|United States]]<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" /> and [[Canada]]<ref name=":8" /> have designated its parent entity, Hamas, as a terrorist organization;<ref name=":9" /> Brigade leader Mohammed Deif has also been classified as a [[Specially Designated Global Terrorist]] by the US under [[Executive Order 13224]].<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":11" />

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}


{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Izz Ad-Din Al-Qassam Brigades}}
[[Category:Organizations designated as terrorist in Asia]]
[[Category:Hamas]]
[[Category:Jihadist groups]]
[[Category:Military wings of nationalist parties]]
[[Category:Muslim Brotherhood]]
[[Category:National liberation movements]]
[[Category:Palestinian terrorism]]
[[Category:Palestinian militant groups]]
[[Category:Resistance movements]]
[[Category:Organisations designated as terrorist by the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Organisations designated as terrorist by Australia]]
[[Category:Organizations designated as terrorist by the United States]]
[[Category:Organizations designated as terrorist by Egypt]]
[[Category:Organisations designated as terrorist by the European Union]]
[[Category:Organisations designated as terrorist by New Zealand]]