Among others, Israel, the EU and the United States have designated the Palestinian Islamic Jihad as a terrorist organization. It is an organization fighting Israel alongside Hamas in Gaza.
16:52•Updated 16:56
In recent days, Israel has carried out attacks on Gaza and said that it had killed a leading figure of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Taysir al-Jabarin, another high-ranking executive by Khaled Mansour as well as several faction fighters.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad PIJ was founded at the turn of the 1970s and 1980s. The organization was founded by Palestinian students who studied in Egypt. Its goal is the establishment of a Palestinian state in the occupied West Bank, Gaza and other areas now controlled by Israel.
Operated by the CIA, the US Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook (you will switch to another service) according to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s strength is unclear, but in 2021 the number of members is estimated to have ranged from a thousand to several thousand.
According to the information collected by the CIA, PIJ has mainly struck southern Israel, but it now also possesses rockets with which it can strike as far as Tel Aviv. The CIA says that the organization’s armament also includes drones and shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles. The organization has previously also carried out suicide attacks and kidnappings in Israel.
According to Al-Jazeera (you will switch to another service) The PIJ does not have long-range rockets, but it does have a significant amount of other weaponry, such as anti-tank missiles, rockets and mortars, and an active armed combat unit, the al-Quds Brigades.
The organization receives background support from Iran
An assistant professor at the Doha Institute interviewed by Al-Jazeera by Ibrahim Fraihati according to PIJ is known to be a close ally of Iran and to oppose the peace process with Israel. The organization’s attitudes towards Israel are harsher than its ally Hamas, and it is not interested in compromises with Israel. Unlike Hamas, PIJ refuses to participate in elections and is not interested in forming a government in Gaza or the West Bank.
Fraihat tells al-Jazeera that although the Palestinian Islamic Jihad is smaller than Hamas, it is effective and well organized. The organization has become a significant force in the fight against Israel.
According to the BBC (you will switch to another service) PIJ’s headquarters is located in Damascus, Syria. The organization has carried out several attacks against Israel using rocket fire and shooting. According to the CIA, both Israeli civilians and military personnel have been targeted.
According to the CIA, the organization receives funding, combat training and armaments mainly from Iran. According to the Central Intelligence Service, Hizbollah offers the organization’s leaders and representatives asylum in Lebanon. The organization maintains a network of tunnels that are used to smuggle goods, weapons and ammunition across borders.