Has Gaza joined the axis of resistance?
Palestinian factions, with the exception of Fatah, are threatening to open a Gaza front against Israel if it goes to war in Syria, Lebanon or Iran.
Tensions escalated Feb. 10 between Israel and Syria after Syrian air defenses shot down an Israeli warplane that had bombed Damascus hours after Israel intercepted an Iranian drone in its airspace. Although Palestinians were not involved in the events, a few hours after them, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Popular Resistance Movement and the Palestinian Freedom Movement declared their support for Syria and Iran and vowed not to remain silent if Israel were to attack either country.
On the same day, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, tweeted that it will be on the lookout to protect the Palestinian people and respond to any Israeli aggression, given the incidents on the Israeli-Syrian border. Mahmoud Mardawi, a Hamas leader in Gaza and former military commander of the brigades, told Al-Monitor, “Hamas' position on the events in Syria has loud and clear messages to Israel. Most prominently is that the Gaza front will not be easier than the Syrian and Lebanese fronts, nor will Israel be able to separate the Gaza, Syrian and Lebanese fronts. Hamas also seeks to raise the morale of the Palestinian people and eliminate any fear of a new war on Gaza by reassuring the people that the Qassam Brigades are capable of responding to the Israeli threats.”
