The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades () are a

Fatah Fatah ( ; ), formally the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (), is a Palestinian nationalist and Arab socialist political party. It is the largest faction of the confederated multi-party Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and ...

-aligned

coalition A coalition is formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political, military, or economic spaces. Formation According to ''A G ...

of Palestinian armed groups in the

West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

and the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...

. Created in 2000 amidst the

Second Intifada The Second Intifada (; ), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada, was a major uprising by Palestinians against Israel and its Israeli-occupied territories, occupation from 2000. Starting as a civilian uprising in Jerusalem and October 2000 prot ...

, the Brigades previously operated as the official armed wing of the Fatah political party before separating from them in 2007. Presently, the organization continues to be politically aligned with Fatah and nonetheless sometimes still presents itself as the party's armed wing, an association rejected by Fatah leadership. The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades have conducted various armed attacks on Israeli military and civilian targets since 2000. Notably, they have participated in the ongoing

Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...

(2023–present) alongside

Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...

and other allied Palestinian factions. The Brigades have been designated as a

terrorist organization Several national governments and two international organizations have created lists of organizations that they designate as terrorist. The following list of designated terrorist groups lists groups designated as terrorist by current and former ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

, the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

,"Currently listed entities"
,

Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada Public Safety Canada (PS; , SP), legally incorporated as the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness (PSEPC), is the department of the Government of Canada responsible for (most) matters of public safety, emergency management, nat ...

, 11 November 2006

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

."Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs)"
,

U.S. Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...

, 11 October 2005

Relationship with Fatah and the Palestinian Authority

The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades were formed in

Balata Camp Balata Camp () is a Palestinian refugee camp established in the northern West Bank in 1950, adjacent to Balata village on the outskirts of the city of Nablus. Balata Camp had a population of 14,635 in 2017. History In 1950, the UN gave the refug ...

, near

Nablus Nablus ( ; , ) is a State of Palestine, Palestinian city in the West Bank, located approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 156,906. Located between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a ...

in the

, following a controversial visit in September 2000 by Israeli Prime Minister

Ariel Sharon Ariel Sharon ( ; also known by his diminutive Arik, ; 26 February 192811 January 2014) was an Israeli general and politician who served as the prime minister of Israel from March 2001 until April 2006. Born in Kfar Malal in Mandatory Palestin ...

and a large police contingent to

Temple Mount The Temple Mount (), also known as the Noble Sanctuary (Arabic: الحرم الشريف, 'Haram al-Sharif'), and sometimes as Jerusalem's holy esplanade, is a hill in the Old City of Jerusalem, Old City of Jerusalem that has been venerated as a ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

. The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades had a close connection to

under the leadership of

Yasser Arafat Yasser Arafat (4 or 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), also popularly known by his Kunya (Arabic), kunya Abu Ammar, was a Palestinian political leader. He was chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from 1969 to 2004, Presid ...

, although this connection was weakened following Arafat's death in 2004. The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades continues to be aligned with Fatah politically. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades announced their separation from the Fatah party in 2007, coinciding with President

Mahmoud Abbas Mahmoud Abbas (; born 15 November 1935), also known by the Kunya (Arabic), kunya Abu Mazen (, ), is a Palestinian politician who has been serving as the second president of Palestine and the President of the Palestinian National Authority, P ...

’s announcement of a decree banning all armed militias. The Fatah movement does not currently officially adopt the military wing, and its statements and websites are devoid of any reference to it or its members and leaders. In 2007 to 2008 some members defected to the

Palestinian Authority The Palestinian Authority (PA), officially known as the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), is the Fatah-controlled government body that exercises partial civil control over the Palestinian enclaves in the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, ...

while others formed Islamist splinter groups such as the

Popular Resistance Committees The Popular Resistance Committees (PRC; , ''Lijān al-Muqāwama al-Shaʿbiyya'') is a coalition of a number of armed Palestinian groups opposed to what they regard as the conciliatory approach of the Palestinian Authority and Fatah towards Isra ...

(PRC) in the Gaza Strip.

Ibrahim al-Nabulsi The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades () are a Fatah-aligned coalition of Palestinian political violence, Palestinian armed groups in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Created in 2000 amidst the Second Intifada, the Brigades previously operated as th ...

has been described as "a Fatah leader from Kataeb Shuhada' Al-Aqsa" but it is possible that many people have separate affiliations to both.

Before 2007

Since 2002, some leaders in Fatah have reportedly tried to get the Brigades to stop attacking civilians. In November 2003, BBC journalists uncovered a payment by Fatah of $50,000 a month to the Brigades This investigation, combined with the documents found by the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

(IDF), led the

government of Israel The Cabinet of Israel (; ) is the cabinet which exercises Executive (government), executive authority in the State of Israel. It consists of Minister (government), ministers who are chosen and led by the Prime Minister of Israel, prime ministe ...

to draw the conclusion that the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades had always been directly funded by

. On 18 December 2003, Fatah asked the leaders of the al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigades to join the Fatah Council, recognizing it officially as part of the Fatah organization. In June 2004, then Palestinian Prime Minister

Ahmed Qurei Ahmed Ali Mohammad Qurei (also spelled Qureia or Qurie; , ; 26 March 1937 – 22 February 2023), also known by his '' kunya'' Abu Alaa ( ), was a Palestinian politician who served as the second prime minister of the Palestinian National Authori ...

openly stated this: "We have clearly declared that the Aksa Martyrs' Brigades are part of Fatah. We are committed to them and Fatah bears full responsibility for the group."

2007 amnesty deal

In July 2007, Israel and the Palestinian Authority reached an amnesty deal under which 178 al-Aqsa gunmen surrendered their arms to the Palestinian Authority, renounced future anti-Israel violence and were permitted to join Palestinian security forces. Later agreements in 2007 and 2008 added more gunmen to the list of those granted amnesty in exchange for ending violence, eventually bringing the total to over 300. On 22 August 2007, according to

Arutz Sheva ''Arutz Sheva'' (), also known in English as ''Israel National News'', is an Israeli media network identifying with religious Zionism. It offers online news articles in Hebrew language, Hebrew, English language, English, and Russian language, R ...

, the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades announced that it was backing out of its commitment and promise to refrain from attacks against Israel and the Israeli backed amnesty deal giving amnesty to 178 al-Aqsa gunmen who agreed to stop militant activities against Israel and surrender their weapons. al-Aqsa said that it backed out of the deal due to the IDF's arrest of two militants who were supposed to be on the amnesty list. According to the IDF, they said they caught the two men at a checkpoint and said they were involved in "terrorist activity" which consequently mandated their arrest according to the stipulations of the amnesty deal. Shortly after backing out of the amnesty deal and its promise of stopping to attack Israel that Al Aqsa agreed to a month earlier, al-Aqsa gunmen in Gaza have announced that they are starting to launch hundreds of rockets and mortar shells at Israeli towns and cities and named the campaign, "Hole in the Wall II."

Militant activities

2000 – 2022

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades are responsible for numerous attacks in the

, targeting both Israelis and Palestinians. The group's first attack occurred on 30 October 2000, when a young militant shot two Israeli police officers in the back at the entrance to the National Insurance Institute in

East Jerusalem East Jerusalem (, ; , ) is the portion of Jerusalem that was Jordanian annexation of the West Bank, held by Jordan after the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, as opposed to West Jerusalem, which was held by Israel. Captured and occupied in 1967, th ...

, killing an officer on the way to the hospital. On 17 January 2001, Hisham Nikki, head of the official

Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation The Palestinian Authority Broadcasting Corporation (PBC; ) or Palestine Authority Public Broadcasting Corporation ( ), also known as Palestine Authority TV, was established on 1 July 1994 and is within the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Author ...

associated with

, was shot dead by masked gunmen in a restaurant in

Gaza Gaza may refer to: Places Palestine * Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea ** Gaza City, a city in the Gaza Strip ** Gaza Governorate, a governorate in the Gaza Strip Mandatory Palestine * Gaza Sub ...

. Days later, the group claimed the murder of an Israeli civilian. In January 2002 they carried out the 2002 Hadera attack, when a gunman killed six and wounded 33 in a

Bat Mitzvah A ''bar mitzvah'' () or ''bat mitzvah'' () is a coming of age ritual in Judaism. According to Jewish law, before children reach a certain age, the parents are responsible for their child's actions. Once Jewish children reach that age, they a ...

celebration. On 19 February 2002 the Brigades carried out the

Ein 'Arik checkpoint attack The Ein 'Arik checkpoint attack occurred 19 February 2002. One Israeli officer and 5 soldiers were killed in an attack on an IDF checkpoint near the Palestinian village of Ein 'Arik, west of Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Hist ...

, near

Ramallah Ramallah ( , ; ) is a Palestinians, Palestinian city in the central West Bank, that serves as the administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerusalem, at an average elevation of abov ...

, where one officer and five soldiers were killed. On 3 March 2002 they carried out the

Wadi al-Haramiya sniper attack The Wadi al-Haramiya sniper attack was a Palestinian sniper attack against Israeli soldiers and civilians on March 3, 2002. A lone Palestinian sniper, 22-year-old Tha'ir Kayid Hammad (), a member of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades from the villa ...

on an IDF checkpoint at Wadi al-Haramiya, near

Ofra Ofra () is an Israeli settlement located in the northern Israeli occupied territories, Israeli-occupied West Bank. Located on the main road between Jerusalem and Nablus (Route 60), it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Binyamin Regional Counc ...

, where two officers and five soldiers were killed and five soldiers wounded. Three civilian settlers were also killed in the incident. On 2 March 2002 they carried out the

Yeshivat Beit Yisrael massacre A Palestinian suicide bombing occurred in the Beit Yisrael neighborhood in downtown Jerusalem on March 2, 2002. Eleven Israeli civilians were killed in the attack, including two infants, three children and two teenagers. Over 50 people were inj ...

Beit Yisrael Beit Yisrael () is a predominantly Haredi neighborhood in central Jerusalem. It is located just north of Mea Shearim. The name Beit Yisrael is taken from the verse in Ezekiel , in which Ezekiel prophesies to the hills and mountains of Israel, "I ...

where 11 were killed. In August 2002 they killed a Palestinian woman,

Ikhlas Khouli Ikhlas Khouli was a 35-year-old resident of Tulkarm, West Bank, and mother of seven who was executed in 2002, without trial, by Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade for allegedly collaborating with Israel. She was the first Palestinian woman to be exec ...

for collaborating with Israel. On 5 January 2003, the Brigades killed 22 people in the Tel Aviv Central bus station massacre. In November 2003, they killed the brother of

Ghassan Shakaa Ghassan Shakaa () (1943 – 25 Jan 2018) was a Palestinian politician who was the mayor of Nablus in 1994–2004 and in 2012–2015, one of the largest cities in the West Bank. His uncle, Bassam Shaka was another former Nablus mayor. Shakaa was ...

(the mayor of

). On 29 January 2004, the Brigades carried out the

Café Moment bombing The Café Moment bombing was a Palestinian suicide attacks, Palestinian suicide bombing of a coffeehouse, coffee shop in downtown Jerusalem, that killed 11 Israelis, Israeli civilians and left 65 others wounded. It was carried out on March 9, 20 ...

in Rehavia, Jerusalem, resulting in 11 people being killed. During the first three months of 2004, a number of attacks on journalists in the West Bank and Gaza Strip were blamed on the Brigades as well, including the attack on the Arab television station

Al Arabiya Arabiya (, transliterated: '; meaning "The Arabic One" or "The Arab One") is a Saudi state-owned international Arabic news television channel. It is based in Riyadh and is a subsidiary of MBC Group. The channel is a flagship of the media c ...

's West Bank offices by masked men who identified themselves as members of the Brigades. Palestinian journalists in Gaza called a general strike on 9 February 2004 to protest this rising violence against journalists. On 22 February 2004 they did a

suicide bombing A suicide attack (also known by a wide variety of other names, see below) is a deliberate attack in which the perpetrators knowingly sacrifice their own lives as part of the attack. These attacks are a form of murder–suicide that is ofte ...

on a bus in

West Jerusalem West Jerusalem or Western Jerusalem (, ; , ) refers to the section of Jerusalem that was controlled by Israel at the end of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. As the city was divided by the Green Line (Israel's erstwhile border, established by ...

, killing 8 people. On 14 March 2004 the Brigades together with Hamas carried out the Port of Ashdod bombings where 10 were killed. On 24 March 2004, a Palestinian teenager named

Hussam Abdo Hussam Muhammad Bilal Abdo (Arabic: حسام محمد بلال عبده; born 24 February 1990) is a Palestinian from the Masahiya area of Nablus, who, as a teenager, made international headlines on 24 March 2004, when he entered the Hawara Check ...

was caught in an IDF checkpoint carrying an

explosive belt An explosive belt (also called suicide belt, suicide vest or bomb vest) is an improvised explosive device, a belt or a vest packed with explosives and armed with a detonator, worn by suicide bombers. Explosive belts are usually packed with ball ...

. Following his arrest, an al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades teenagers' militant cell was exposed and arrested in

. The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades took prominent part in the July 2004 riots in the Gaza Strip, in which Palestinian officers were kidnapped and PA security headquarters buildings and policemen were attacked by gunmen. These riots led the Palestinian cabinet to declare a state of emergency. One media outlet described the situation in the

anarchy Anarchy is a form of society without rulers. As a type of stateless society, it is commonly contrasted with states, which are centralized polities that claim a monopoly on violence over a permanent territory. Beyond a lack of government, it can ...

and

chaos Chaos or CHAOS may refer to: Science, technology, and astronomy * '' Chaos: Making a New Science'', a 1987 book by James Gleick * Chaos (company), a Bulgarian rendering and simulation software company * ''Chaos'' (genus), a genus of amoebae * ...

. On 23 September 2004, a 15-year-old suicide bomber was arrested by Israeli security forces. On 16 October 2005, the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades claimed responsibility for a shooting attack at the

Gush Etzion Gush Etzion (, ' Etzion Bloc) is a cluster of Israeli settlements located in the Judaean Mountains, directly south of Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the West Bank. The core group includes four Jewish agricultural villages that were founded in 1943� ...

Junction which killed three Israelis and wounded three others. The

offices were raided by 15 masked gunmen from al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades on 30 January 2006. They demanded apologies from Denmark and Norway regarding the

Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons The Muhammad cartoons controversy (or Muhammad cartoons crisis, ) began after the Danish newspaper published twelve editorial cartoons on 30 September 2005 depicting Muhammad, the founder of Islam, in what it said was a response to the deb ...

and left 30 minutes later without shots fired or injuries. On 9 June 2007, in a failed assault on an IDF position at the Kissufim crossing between Gaza and Israel in a possible attempt to kidnap IDF soldiers, 4 armed members of the

al-Quds Brigades Al-Quds Brigades (, ''Sarāyā al-Quds'' meaning "Jerusalem Brigades") is a paramilitary organisation and the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamist organization Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), which is the second largest armed group in th ...

– the military wing of Islamic Jihad – and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades as the then military wing of Fatah used a vehicle marked with "TV" and "PRESS" insignia, penetrated the border fence, and assaulted a guard tower in what Islamic Jihad and the army said was a failed attempt to capture an Israeli soldier. IDF troops killed one militant, while the others escaped. The use of a vehicle that resembled a press vehicle evoked a sharp response from many journalists and news organizations, including the Foreign Press Association and

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...

. On 14 July 2007,

Zakaria Zubeidi Zakaria Muhammad 'Abdelrahman Zubeidi (; other spellings include Zakariyah Zbeidi, Zacharia and Zubaidi; born 1976) is the former Jenin chief of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades. He is considered a "symbol of the Intifada", and was on Israel's most ...

– who was considered the local al-Aqsa leader for

Jenin Jenin ( ; , ) is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, and is the capital of the Jenin Governorate. It is a hub for the surrounding towns. Jenin came under Israeli occupied territories, Israeli occupation in 1967, and was put under the administra ...

and the northern West Bank, and who had been wanted for many years for his armed activity against Israel – agreed to cease fighting against Israel after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert gave conditional pardon for 178 prisoners from the PA territories. The Brigades claimed responsibility for the 2022 Bnei Brak shootings, where a gunman shot five people dead in the

ultra-Orthodox Haredi Judaism (, ) is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that is characterized by its strict interpretation of religious sources and its accepted (Jewish law) and traditions, in opposition to more accommodating values and practices. Its members are ...

Tel Aviv suburb of

Bnei Brak Bnei Brak ( ) or Bene Beraq, is a city located on the central Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean Israeli coastal plain, coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an area of 709 hectares (1,752 acre ...

before being killed.

Israel-Hamas war (2023-present)

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades participated in the Hamas-led 7 October attacks on Israel, which began the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. According to the

Institute for the Study of War The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) is an American nonprofit research group and advocacy think tank founded in 2007 by military historian Kimberly Kagan and headquartered in Washington, D.C. ISW provides research and analysis of modern arm ...

, during the

Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip The Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip is a major part of the Gaza war. Starting on 7 October 2023, immediately after the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, Hamas-led attack on Israel, Israel began bombing of the Gaza Strip, bombing the Ga ...

, the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades engaged in combat with the

Israel Defence Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, an ...

in various locations throughout the Gaza Strip, including in

Gaza City Gaza City, also called Gaza, is a city in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, and the capital of the Gaza Governorate. Located on the Mediterranean coast, southwest of Jerusalem, it was home to Port of Gaza, Palestine's only port. With a population of ...

Khan Yunis Khan Yunis (), also spelled Khan Younis or Khan Yunus, is a city in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestine, and serves as the capital of the Khan Yunis Governorate. It has been largely destroyed during the Gaza war. Before the 14th century, Khan Y ...

, and

Juhor ad-Dik Juhor ad-Dik (, ) is a Palestinian farming village in the Gaza Governorate, south of Gaza City, in the central Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the village had a population of 4,586 inhabitants in 2017. ...

Notable members

Notable members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades includes active militants and militants that were killed or arrested by the Israeli security forces. * Raed Al-Karmi: General commander and founder the Brigades; killed by

Shin Bet The Israel Security Agency (ISA; , (GSS); ), better known by the Hebrew acronyms, acronyms Shabak (; ; ) or Shin Bet (from the abbreviation of , "Security Service"), is Israel's internal Security agency, security service. Its motto is "''Magen ...

on 14 January 2002 in

Tulkarm Tulkarm or Tulkarem (, ''Ṭūlkarm'') is a Palestinians, Palestinian city in the West Bank, the capital of the Tulkarm Governorate of the State of Palestine. The Israeli city of Netanya is to the west, and the Palestinian territories, Palestinia ...

. *

Naif Abu-Sharah Naif Abu Sharah (1966 – 27 June 2004) () was a Palestinian member of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades in Nablus, an armed wing of Fatah. He was killed in an Israeli Defense Forces operation in the old city of Nablus in 2004 along with two other seni ...

: local commander in

(killed by IDF). * Fadi Kafisha: former head of the Tanzim in Nablus; killed by IDF in 2006. *

Sirhan Sirhan Sirhan Bishara Sirhan (; ; born March 19, 1944) is a Palestinian-Jordanian man who assassinated Senator Robert F. Kennedy, a younger brother of American president John F. Kennedy and a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 1968 U ...

: Involved in the

2002 Metzer attack The 2002 Metzer attack was carried out on 10 November 2002 in Metzer, Israel by a Palestinian who infiltrated the Kibbutz and murdered five Israeli civilians, including a mother and her two children. Attack Sirhan entered the Kibbutz of Metzer ...

. Killed by

Yamam Yamam (), also known as National Counter-Terrorism Unit, is Israel's national counter-terrorism unit, one of four special units of the Israel Border Police. The Yamam is capable of both hostage-rescue operations and offensive take-over raids ag ...

in 2003. *

: local commander in

, known for his relationship with Israeli

far left Far or FAR may refer to: Government * Federal Acquisition Regulation, US * Federal Aviation Regulations, US * Florida Administrative Register, US Military and paramilitary * Rebel Armed Forces (Spanish: '), a defunct guerilla organization ...

activist

Tali Fahima Tali Fahima (, ; born 8 February 1976) is an Israeli of Algerian Jewish origin and pro-Palestinian activist who was convicted for her contacts with Zakaria Zubeidi, Jenin chief of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, an armed faction close to Fatah. ...

. * Samih Madhoun: senior leader. Killed in 2007 by the

al-Qassam Brigades Al-Qassam Brigades, also known as the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (EQB; ), are the military wing of the Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islamist organization Hamas. Led by Mohammed Deif until his death on 13 July 2024, Al-Qassam Brigades are ...

: local commander in

, killed in August 2022. * Chris Bandak: local commander in

Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...

and the only known

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

in the Brigades at the time of his arrest in February 2003; released in 2011 as part of an exchange for the release of

Gilad Shalit Gilad Shalit (, ''Gilˁad Šaliṭ'' ; born 28 August 1986) is a former MIA soldier of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) who, on 25 June 2006, was captured by Palestinian militants in a cross-border raid via tunnels near the Israeli border. Ham ...

. *Issam al-Salaj: head of the Balata Battalion killed during an Israeli special forces operation in the west bank city of

Notes

References

External links

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades website
(Arabic)
Council on Foreign Relations. Terrorism Q&A: al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades

Profile: al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade

The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades: A political tool with an edge
, from Israel's Institute for Counter-Terrorism.

* ttp://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP67504 Daily Life in the Palestininian Authority
BBC: Palestinian Authority Funds go to Militants
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades Anti-Israeli sentiment in Palestine Anti-Zionism in Palestine Fatah breakaway groups Paramilitary organizations based in Palestine Palestinian militant groups Military wings of nationalist parties Resistance movements Organizations designated as terrorist by Canada Organisations designated as terrorist by the European Union Organizations designated as terrorist by Israel Organisations designated as terrorist by Japan Organisations designated as terrorist by New Zealand Organisations designated as terrorist by the United Kingdom Organizations designated as terrorist by the United States Organizations based in Asia designated as terrorist 2000 establishments in Palestine Temple Mount and Al-Aqsa in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict Axis of Resistance

Relationship with Fatah and the Palestinian Authority

Before 2007

2007 amnesty deal

Militant activities

2000 – 2022

Israel-Hamas war (2023-present)

Notable members

See also

Notes

References

External links