The long history of Hamas’s war on ISIS & Al-Qaeda (an intro):
The Israeli PM’s confirmation that he is backing ISIS-linked cells in Gaza against Hamas may come as a surprise to some.
Yet the Hamas battle against ISIS & AQ goes back decades. Contrary to what you have likely been told by corporate media.
Since Hamas took full security control of Gaza in 2007, it has constantly had to face off against Salafi militant factions inside the Strip.
In 2009, Hamas crushed an al-Qaeda uprising. This culminated in a deadly battle between Hamas forces and an AQ affiliate that left 22 dead. Sporadic bombings and assassination attempts followed.
Clashes and arrest campaigns continued intermittently for years, as AQ groups continued occasional terrorist attacks, kidnappings and assassinations.
In 2015 a ceasefire between the Salafist militants and Hamas was declared, yet this broke down after AQ-linked militants committed bombing attacks against civilian targets in Gaza, leading to the mass arrests of 50 Salafists.
That same year, ISIS appeared in Gaza for the first time, starting a wing of the group called the Sheikh Omar Hadid Brigade.
ISIS also executed a Hamas commander named Sheikh Abu Salah Taha in Syria’s Yarmouk camp around that time.
Hamas systematically dismantled the ISIS cells that began forming in Gaza, also killing its leader Younis Hunnar in a gunfight at his home.
In 2018, ISIS would officially “declare war” on Hamas, urging its followers to carry out attacks in order to overthrow the group in Gaza.
You won’t be surprised to know that the “grassroots” resistance to Hamas, which Israel backs to create what they call “Hamas free zones” in Gaza & loot aid, are many of those who maintain links to ISIS in the Sinai or were involved in the group at some point.
The ring leaders of the ISIS-linked gangs that Israel back are criminals like Yasser Abu Shabab (convicted drug trafficker) & Shadi al-Soufi (convicted murderer connected to the drug trade).
These ISIS-linked militants were even smuggled to and from the Sinai by their connections in Egypt. These militants also come primarily from Bedouin clans, who span across the Naqab (Negev), Gaza & Sinai, providing in-roads into all these territories through the criminal elements of these clans. Also a perfect place for Bedouin IDF soldiers to play a role.
Israel has historically seen ISIS as a political pawn on its wider regional chessboard. Hamas, meanwhile, fought battles against it in both Gaza and Syria (where ISIS succeeded in defeating Hamas in Yarmouk camp).
Mike