Thread by @talhagin

An Overview of Palestinian Militant Groups
The media frequently mentions "Hamas", but consistently fails to mention the other Palestinian militant groups. This overview will list 10 well-armed and influential Palestinian militant groups actively engaged in conflict with Israel.

Disclaimer: The power structure, funding, and strength of these groups are not always public. Additionally, some groups will take credit for attacks they did not commit. This overview has taken these issues into consideration during the research stages and summarization.

These groups were selected based on various criteria:
1. Activity-Frequency of armed attacks against IDF soldiers and civilians.
2. Identity-Only Palestinian groups were chosen, not those aligned with Palestinians (Hezbollah).
3. Base of Operations-W.B, Lebanon, Gaza or Syria.

Overview - Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades(Military branch of Hamas, but allegedly has the freedom to operate independently) - Founded: 1991
This brigade is the most powerful militant group operating in Gaza but is also based in southern Lebanon & the West Bank.

Overview - al-Quds Brigades (Military branch of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad) - Founded: 1981
This brigade operates from multiple fronts: Gaza (Second largest group), West Bank & Southern Lebanon, and is reported to be majority funded by Iran, acting as a regional proxy.

Overview - al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades(Associated with Fatah, but overall control by them is heavily disputed) - Founded: 2000
This brigade operates mainly from the West Bank but is also active in Gaza. They operate in conjunction with other Palestinian brigades in both theaters.

Overview - al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades (Military branch of the Popular Resistance Committees) - Founded: 2000
This brigade is alleged to be the 3rd largest group in Gaza but also operates in the West Bank (Primarily Jenin). The PRC is primarily allied with Islamic brigades.

Overview - Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades (Military branch of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine)-Founded: 1967
The brigade operates from the West Bank and Gaza. Despite its relatively small size, it can create its own weaponry, such as rockets (Samoud-1).

Overview - National Resistance Brigades (Military branch of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine) - Founded: 1969
The brigade operates exclusively from Gaza and has participated in numerous confrontations with Israel in cooperation with other brigades in the strip

Overview - Mujahideen Brigades (Military branch of the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement) - Founded: 2002
The brigade operates primarily from Gaza but does not have the same financial support as aL-Qassam and al-Quds. Additionally, it also has organized cells in the West Bank.

Overview - Jihad Jibril Brigades (Military branch of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command)-Founded: 1969
The brigade operates from Syria and Gaza (with some reports of activities in Lebanon). They were mainly involved in sporadic attacks until Oct 7

Overview - Lions' Den (No formal ties with any political party or faction) - Formed: 2022
The group operates almost exclusively from Jenin in the West Bank and has created a network of informants and alert systems to detect and track IDF movements in Jenin and surrounding areas.

Overview - Jenin Battalion/Tulkarem Brigade (Formed as a quasi-branch of al-Quds Brigade by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad) - Founded: 2021 (J) 2023 (T)
These 2 groups operate throughout the West Bank and are a collective of fighters from other brigades.

The political branches of these brigades have diverse (sometimes opposing) goals, resulting in civil wars, assassinations, and faction member arrests. In recent years, these groups have started to unify - For example: the "Palestinian Joint Operations Room" (Founded: 2018)

These groups are typically located in relatively secure areas like Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria, enabling them to build structured militant forces (but not immune to IDF incursions). Recently, efforts have been made to establish such safe areas, including Jenin by the Lion's Den.

This concludes the overview of the various Palestinian militant groups currently active.
Research conducted for this overview used academic articles, public intelligence reports, declarations by the brigades themselves, news reports, and expert opinions.

@threadreaderapp unroll please.