Hamas transformed itself into an effective guerrilla fighting force and got the better of one of the world's strongest armies.
Hamas is not alone: ??who are their allies? And how do other major players in the region respond? Political parties Fatah, led by Mahmoud Abbas (left), and Hezbollah also play a dubious role in the explosive region.
The radical Palestinian Islamic group Hamas wants to trigger a chain reaction with the large-scale surprise attack, with other parties joining in, such as Fatah or Hezbollah. Other parties play more of a role behind the scenes. Who are the main players? And what can we expect from them?
Tuesday, October 10, 2023 at 1:38 PM
FATAH ? What is their relationship with Hamas? The political movement, literally 'the liberation army of Palestine', was founded in 1959 by Yasser Arafat, among others. The organization has long been at odds with Hamas because the latter wants a strict Islamic state and Fatah strives for a free and socialist Palestine. But in 2017 they decided to work together.
? What role do they play in the region? Mahmoud Abbas (87) has been president of the Palestinian Authority - the administration of the Palestinian territories - since 2005, a position that has been disputed since 2009. In that position, he and his Fatah party also control the Gaza Strip.
? What is their military strength? The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade – which is said to be directly related to Fatah (although the latter denies this) – is responsible for suicide bombings, armed robberies and shooting incidents in Israel. The group is regarded as a terrorist organization by Europe, the US and Israel.
ISLAMIC JIHAD ? What is their relationship with Hamas? Islamic Jihad is a radical Palestinian Islamic resistance organization, which is mainly active in the Gaza Strip and is closely affiliated with Hamas. Compared to Hamas, the movement has much closer ties with the Iranian regime. On Saturday, the group immediately joined Hamas' surprise attack on Israel.
? What role do they play in the region? Like the military branch of Hamas, Islamic Jihad is known for extreme violence against Israel, ranging from suicide bombings to bomb and rocket attacks. It would also regularly engage minors for this purpose.
? What is their military strength? According to Western intelligence services, the organization has about 1,000 members.
HEZBOLLAH ? What is their relationship with Hamas? Hezbollah is a political party in Lebanon, which borders Israel, that fights against the Jewish state. The organization openly supports the Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah and considers Israel its arch enemy. In response to Hamas's invasion of Israel, Hezbollah militias fired several rockets into Israel this weekend. The group is threatening many more attacks if the Israeli army launches a ground offensive against Hamas.
? What role do they play in the region? In Lebanon it is a political party, outside of it Hezbollah is considered a terrorist organization by many Western countries. The organization also intervened in the Syrian conflict on the side of the Syrian government.
? What is their military strength? Observers estimate that Hezbollah has about 4,000 troops. But perhaps even more importantly: according to security experts, the war in Syria left a lot of modern equipment, including very sophisticated drones.
EGYPT ? What is their relationship with Hamas? In the far south, the Gaza Strip – where Hamas has power – borders Egypt. For a long time, fighters and weapons were smuggled in or out via this border, and especially a huge tunnel network under it, which was tolerated by the then pro-Hamas Egyptian government. Until Egypt, with a new government in charge, closed most of the tunnels about ten years ago.
? What role do they play in the region? Egypt mainly wants to prevent violence from spreading to its own country, such as several Jewish tourists who were murdered this weekend in the Egyptian city of Alexandria. This weekend it called on both Israel and Hamas to exercise the utmost restraint. Egypt regularly tries to hold talks to end the unrest between Israel and the Palestinians.
? What is their military strength? The Egyptian armed forces number about 450,000 soldiers. However, it is impossible that the Egyptian government would intervene militarily in any way.
SAUDI ARABIA ? What is their relationship with Hamas? Hamas and Saudi Arabia are at odds, given the close contacts between Hamas and Iran, an arch-enemy of Saudi Arabia. Nevertheless, Hamas leaders recently visited the Saudi kingdom, presumably to learn about Saudi Arabia's rapprochement with Israel.
? What role do they play in the region? Wealthy Saudi Arabia has long been one of the main backers of the Palestinian Authority, which is mainly in charge of the West Bank. But through American mediation, rapprochement attempts are underway between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman previously told Fox News: “Every day we get closer to a normalized relationship with Israel.” But that rapprochement is in danger of being seriously disrupted by the events of this weekend.
? What is their military strength? Saudi Arabia has a very modern and well-equipped army, given the tensions with Iran. However, it is impossible that Saudi Arabia would intervene militarily in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
IRAN ? What is their relationship with Hamas? Iran has been Israel's absolute archenemy for years. The country therefore openly supports the actions of Hamas, although the Iranians themselves claim to have had nothing to do with it. However, experts agree that Iran at least helped plan the attack and probably also supplied material.
? What role do they play in the region? It is sometimes said that if there is trouble in Iran, there will be trouble in the rest of the Middle East. Iran is a political heavyweight that has been trying to control the region for years. In this context, the country often clashes with Western powers and with Saudi Arabia, the other major country in the Middle East. Iran therefore has every advantage in thwarting the recent rapprochement between Israel and the Saudis.
? What is their military strength? In the annual ranking of the strongest armies in the world, compiled by the website Global Firepower, Iran currently ranks 17th. One place above Israel. This makes it the largest military power in the Middle East.
SYRIA ? What is their relationship with Hamas? Syria and Hamas were allies for years until Hamas suddenly supported the street protests against the government of Syrian President Assad in 2012. After more than ten years of silence, it was announced last year that Hamas has restored ties with Syria. The Syrian Foreign Ministry called last weekend's attack "an honorable action" against "Zionist terrorism."
? What role do they play in the region? The Arab Spring has transformed Syria into a turbulent country, but Syria still plays a crucial role in the geopolitical balance of power in the Middle East. It owes this to its military power, but also to its geographical location between Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Israel and Lebanon. Historically, the country has been one of Israel's most ardent opponents and a staunch ally of Iran.
? What is their military strength? Syria is ranked 64th among the strongest armies in the world. Their total number of military personnel is estimated at 150,000.
