Hamas turns blind eye to Fatah’s military activities in Gaza
Fatah-affiliated militias are operating in Gaza to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ displeasure and with no restrictions from Hamas, which says it welcomes every contribution to an armed resistance against Israel.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Despite the ban imposed by Hamas on Fatah’s activities in the Gaza Strip since it took control in June 2007, and despite the intensification of political differences between the two parties, the military relationship on the ground looks different: Fatah’s military wing, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, is conducting unrestricted military training in Gaza.
Questions arise regarding the nature of the relationship between Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and Hamas and about the brigades’ adoption of armed resistance, although Fatah leader and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas rejects the armed struggle against Israel.
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades was founded under late President Yasser Arafat, on the eve of the second intifada, Sept. 28, 2000, with the goal of carrying out military operations against Israeli targets.
However, in July 2007, Abbas announced he was dissolving the brigades. This decision led to wide defections within the brigades' ranks, while military cells affiliated with them started forming in Gaza under different names, such as the “Abdul Qader al-Husseini Brigades.”
