Al-Qassam Brigades
| Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades or The Al-Qassam Brigade كتائب الشهيد عز الدين القسام |
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|---|---|
| Participant in the Israeli–Palestinian Conflict | |
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades Logo
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| Active | 1993–present |
| Ideology |
Palestinian self-determination Sunni Islamism, Islamic fundamentalism, Palestinian nationalism |
| Leaders |
Mohammed Deif Marwan Issa |
| Headquarters | Gaza Strip |
| Area of operations |
 Palestinian territories State of Israel
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| Strength | 40,000–50,000" |
| Part of |
 Hamas
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| Opponents | |
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The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades (Arabic: كتائب الشهيد عز الدين القسام; named after Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, often shortened to Al-Qassam Brigades, EQB) is the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas organization.
Created in mid 1991, it was at the time concerned with blocking the Oslo Accords negotiations. From 1994 to 2000, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades carried out a number of attacks against Israelis.
At the beginning of the Second Intifada, the group became a central target of Israel. The group's strength and its ability to carry out complex and lethal attacks surprised many observers. The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades operated several cells in the West Bank, but most of them were destroyed by 2004 following numerous Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) operations in the region. In contrast, Hamas retained a forceful presence in the Gaza Strip, generally considered its stronghold. The group is currently headed by Marwan Issa.
The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades is listed as a terrorist organisation by the European Union, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Egypt.
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