International > Hamas' Secretive Military Wing Emerges

Hamas' Secretive Military Wing Emerges From Shadows to Claim Credit for Israel's Gaza Pullout

A Masked Palestinian Hamas militant displays his weapon during a training session in Jebaliya in the northern Gaza Strip, in this early Friday, Aug. 12, 2005, file photo. Hamas' secretive military wing emerged from hiding Saturday, revealing the names of

The Islamic group insists its fighters drove Israel out, while Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas credits his nonviolent approach. The jockeying for public opinion ahead of Palestinian legislative elections next year could have lasting implications for the future makeup of the Palestinian Authority and the fate of nascent peace efforts with Israel.

In a posting on its Web site and on tens of thousands of fliers to be distributed in Palestinian towns in the coming days the Izzedine al Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, detailed its command structure, publishing the names of seven top commanders along with photos, biographies and interviews.

The names were known to some in Gaza and analysts said Israeli intelligence almost certainly had all that information already, but the posting marked the first time Hamas' military arm published intricate details of its operations, leaders and their responsibilities.

The posting was part of a new campaign by the Islamic group to glorify its fighters and burnish its credentials as a liberation movement ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for January.

Sitting at the top of Hamas' military command structure was Mohammed Deif, who has been No. 1 on Israel's wanted list for years and survived three Israeli attempts to kill him. In a videotape released last week, Deif, who has been in hiding since 1992, was shown celebrating the Gaza pullout as a victory for armed resistance and calling for continued attacks until Israel is destroyed.

Israel and the United States have called on Abbas to dismantle all Palestinian militant groups, including Hamas. Abbas has said such a crackdown could cause a civil war and has worked to co-opt the militants into the political system instead, encouraging them to honor an informal cease-fire with Israel and participate in the election.

"Changes of government and power will be through ballots, not bullets," Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said.

In comments posted on the Web site, Deif warned that Hamas would use force if Palestinian police tried to disarm or arrest members of the group. "We will respond to any attack, whether from the Authority or from the Israelis," Deif was quoted as saying.

Deif also said that Izzedine al Qassam would not disband and would continue to develop weapons, including rockets.

Hassan Yousef, a Hamas leader in the West Bank, said Izzedine al Qassam came forward "to show the role of resistance in liberating Gaza." Alluding to the competition with Abbas, he said: "They (the militants) felt that there are some people who wanted to downplay the role of the resistance."

Abbas also is trying to gain political capital from the Israeli pullout, which he says is a victory for his policy of peaceful negotiations.

In a visit to a Gaza City school at the start of the new school year Saturday, Abbas said the withdrawal will improve daily life. "God willing, the people will live in peace and security," Abbas told students. "The Israeli attacks will end, and then people will enjoy freedom of movement."

In an interview with The Associated Press on Saturday, Abbas also said Mideast peace talks should resume immediately after Israel completes its Gaza withdrawal and expressed hope that a Palestinian state will be established by next year.

He said the U.S. has assured him that peace negotiations with Israel can resume as soon as Israel completes its withdrawal from Gaza.

The Israeli military said Saturday it had dismantled 90 percent of the inventory in 30 bases in Gaza and the northern West Bank and should complete its pullout from those areas by Sept. 15.

A senior defense official, Maj. Gen. Amos Gilad, said Israel would retaliate harshly to attacks from Gaza after the pullout. He also said the Palestinian Authority has the means, but not the will, to disarm Hamas. "Hamas is basically setting itself up as an alternative Palestinian Authority," he told Israel Radio.

Deif was evasive in his Internet comments about whether his militants would continue to honor the cease-fire, though Hamas appeared reluctant to launch attacks that could invite reprisal raids and eat into its popularity ahead of the parliamentary vote.

Deif also laid out a history of Izzedine al Qassam, beginning with its first attack, the January 1992 killing of a rabbi in the Israeli settlement of Kfar Darom in Gaza. "He was shot by our brothers with a 7 mm pistol ... which was the only pistol that we had," Deif said.

In 1995, after a few failures, Hamas built its first crude bombs, followed a few years later by rockets. He said the most effective weapon was the scores of suicide bombings Hamas set off in Israel from the mid-1990s that killed hundreds of Israelis, including many civilians.

The other senior operatives named on the Web site were: Ahmed Jaberi, a Deif deputy; Raed Saed, commander of Gaza City; Ahmed al Ghandor, commander of northern Gaza; Mohammed Abu Shamaleh, commander of southern Gaza; Marwan Issa, a Deif deputy; and Mohammed al Sanwar, commander of the town of Khan Younis.

Three of the seven biographies were accompanied by headshots, while three others posed with masks. No picture accompanied Deif's entry.

The operatives described how they planned different attacks.

Issa said Hamas operatives would watch an Israeli settlement for days and weeks before an attack. He said he always had too many volunteers for suicide missions and that dozens of attacks were called off at the last minute for fear of failure.

2005-09-04