Islamic State group's 'Gaza recruits' threaten to destroy Hamas
Analysis: As fatal attacks continue in Sinai, IS-affiliated fighters, now thought to include Palestinians from Gaza, threaten to overthrow the Hamas movement.
3 min read
In the video, IS called Hamas 'secularists', despite their Islamist ideology [Getty]
The Islamic State group has issued a video threatening to destroy Hamas, the militant group currently in power in the Gaza Strip, to whom they refer as "tyrants".
Although the nationalities of those featured in the video was initially unknown, it is now thought that the group includes Gazans.
In a 16-minute video, fighters based in Syria's Aleppo area condemned Hamas for its crackdown on Salafi groups in Gaza, and for not implementing "adequate" Sharia law.
"We will uproot the state of the Jews, and you and Fatah," says a speaker in the video. "All of the secularists are nothing and you will be over-run by our creeping multitudes.
"The point of jihad is not to liberate land... but jihad as defined by God, is fighting for and implementing the law of God. They raise their children to respect this Palestinian flag… the road to liberate Palestine goes through Iraq and we are getting closer, day by day."
Despite such bombast, IS has concentrated its attacks within Arab countries, and is thought to have executed 3,000 people within a year, while being responsible for the displacement of two million people.
"What is happening today in Syria, especially in the Yarmouk camp, we swear by God, will happen in Gaza," a fighter in the video said, referring to the Palestinian refugee camp in Syria which has seen IS at the centre of violence.
The Israel factor
The video comes as Israel issues fresh accusations that IS and Hamas enjoy some degree of cooperation.
"There is cooperation between them in the realm of weapons smuggling and terrorist attacks," Intelligence Minister Israel Katz told a Tel Aviv conference on Tuesday. "The Egyptians know this, and the Saudis."
The Egyptian government and media also frequently hold Hamas responsible for attacks in Sinai, although transnational jihadist groups such as IS, Bayt al-Maqdis and al-Qaeda have often claimed responsibility for such attacks.
Palestinians speaking exclusively to to al-Araby al-Jadeed say some of the IS fighters featured in the latest video clip are from Rafah in Gaza and travelled to Syria during the war, corroborating the stories of Gazan Twitter users who recognised the militants.
"The one on the left… he's one of us," one Gazan Twitter user said, amid an array of expletives.
Hamas has recently been involved in isolated skirmishes with militants from other Gazan armed groups, with a number of small bombs targeting security facilities in June.
In February, a small number of Gazans pledged allegiance to IS in a video - but the Hamas movement emphasised that they were an insignificantly small group of young people.
"There is no such thing as ISIS in Gaza, and there are no indications that this organisation exists here," Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri said at the time.
The latest video came on the eve of Wednesday's attacks in Sinai, for which IS has claimed responsibility.
The ongoing attacks in recent months have also adversely affected citizens of Gaza, with Palestinians in Rafah telling al-Araby that the city has been rocked by explosions and that they fear attacks both by IS, and possible strikes from the Egyptian army, which is digging a huge trench along the border - let alone the Israeli military which enforces the blockade of the coastal territory.
Rafah crossing, which has recently seen its opening hours brifley observed, was closed on Wednesday, and is expected to remain so for the foreseeable future due to the attacks on the Sinai.
Although the nationalities of those featured in the video was initially unknown, it is now thought that the group includes Gazans.
In a 16-minute video, fighters based in Syria's Aleppo area condemned Hamas for its crackdown on Salafi groups in Gaza, and for not implementing "adequate" Sharia law.
"We will uproot the state of the Jews, and you and Fatah," says a speaker in the video. "All of the secularists are nothing and you will be over-run by our creeping multitudes.
"The point of jihad is not to liberate land... but jihad as defined by God, is fighting for and implementing the law of God. They raise their children to respect this Palestinian flag… the road to liberate Palestine goes through Iraq and we are getting closer, day by day."
 |
The road to liberate Palestine goes through Iraq and we are getting closer, day by day - IS fighter in video |
Despite such bombast, IS has concentrated its attacks within Arab countries, and is thought to have executed 3,000 people within a year, while being responsible for the displacement of two million people.
"What is happening today in Syria, especially in the Yarmouk camp, we swear by God, will happen in Gaza," a fighter in the video said, referring to the Palestinian refugee camp in Syria which has seen IS at the centre of violence.
The Israel factor
The video comes as Israel issues fresh accusations that IS and Hamas enjoy some degree of cooperation.
"There is cooperation between them in the realm of weapons smuggling and terrorist attacks," Intelligence Minister Israel Katz told a Tel Aviv conference on Tuesday. "The Egyptians know this, and the Saudis."
The Egyptian government and media also frequently hold Hamas responsible for attacks in Sinai, although transnational jihadist groups such as IS, Bayt al-Maqdis and al-Qaeda have often claimed responsibility for such attacks.
Palestinians speaking exclusively to to al-Araby al-Jadeed say some of the IS fighters featured in the latest video clip are from Rafah in Gaza and travelled to Syria during the war, corroborating the stories of Gazan Twitter users who recognised the militants.
"The one on the left… he's one of us," one Gazan Twitter user said, amid an array of expletives.
|
There is no such thing as ISIS in Gaza, and there are no indications that this organisation exists here - Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas |
Hamas has recently been involved in isolated skirmishes with militants from other Gazan armed groups, with a number of small bombs targeting security facilities in June.
In February, a small number of Gazans pledged allegiance to IS in a video - but the Hamas movement emphasised that they were an insignificantly small group of young people.
"There is no such thing as ISIS in Gaza, and there are no indications that this organisation exists here," Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri said at the time.
The latest video came on the eve of Wednesday's attacks in Sinai, for which IS has claimed responsibility.
The ongoing attacks in recent months have also adversely affected citizens of Gaza, with Palestinians in Rafah telling al-Araby that the city has been rocked by explosions and that they fear attacks both by IS, and possible strikes from the Egyptian army, which is digging a huge trench along the border - let alone the Israeli military which enforces the blockade of the coastal territory.
Rafah crossing, which has recently seen its opening hours brifley observed, was closed on Wednesday, and is expected to remain so for the foreseeable future due to the attacks on the Sinai.
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