Terrorist groups - home based:
Army of Islam (AOI): aim(s): stage attacks against Israel and Egypt from the Gaza Strip and, ultimately, establish an Islamic emirate in the region
area(s) of operation: headquartered in Gaza; heaviest presence and operational activity is in the Gaza Strip
note: operatives have a history of launching low-impact rockets into Israeli and Egyptian territory; the Army of Islam (Jaish al-Islam, JAI) in Syria is unrelated to AOI (2018)
area(s) of operation: headquartered in Gaza; heaviest presence and operational activity is in the Gaza Strip
note: operatives have a history of launching low-impact rockets into Israeli and Egyptian territory; the Army of Islam (Jaish al-Islam, JAI) in Syria is unrelated to AOI (2018)
HAMAS: aim(s): maintain control of the Gaza Strip to facilitate Palestinian nationalist aims
area(s) of operation: headquartered in Gaza (2018)
area(s) of operation: headquartered in Gaza (2018)
Mujahidin Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem (MSC): aim(s): bolster its staging capabilities in the Gaza Strip against Israel and, ultimately, destroy the state of Israel
area(s) of operation: headquartered in Gaza, although present in Egypt, Libya, Syria, and Israel (2018)
area(s) of operation: headquartered in Gaza, although present in Egypt, Libya, Syria, and Israel (2018)
Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ): aim(s): enhance its staging capabilities in the Gaza Strip to launch attacks against Israel
area(s) of operation: stages rocket attacks against civilians and military personnel primarily in southern Israel (2018)
area(s) of operation: stages rocket attacks against civilians and military personnel primarily in southern Israel (2018)
Palestine Liberation Front (PLF): aim(s): bolster its staging capabilities in the Gaza Strip against Israel and, ultimately, destroy the state of Israel in order to establish a secular, Marxist Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital
area(s) of operation: based in Gaza; maintains a recruitment and paramilitary training presence in most of the refugee camps across the Gaza Strip (2018)
area(s) of operation: based in Gaza; maintains a recruitment and paramilitary training presence in most of the refugee camps across the Gaza Strip (2018)
PFLP-General Command (PFLP-GC):
aim(s): bolster its staging capabilities to prepare fighters for deployment to Syria and to launch occasional attacks inside Israel; ultimately, seeks to establish a Palestinian state
area(s) of operation: headquartered in Gaza; as a longtime supporter of the Syrian Government, the group trains and deploys fighters to Syria to fight on behalf of President Bashar al-ASAD; stages occasional small-scale attacks inside Israel (2018)
aim(s): bolster its staging capabilities to prepare fighters for deployment to Syria and to launch occasional attacks inside Israel; ultimately, seeks to establish a Palestinian state
area(s) of operation: headquartered in Gaza; as a longtime supporter of the Syrian Government, the group trains and deploys fighters to Syria to fight on behalf of President Bashar al-ASAD; stages occasional small-scale attacks inside Israel (2018)
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP): aim(s): destroy the state of Israel and, ultimately, establish a secular, Marxist Palestinian state
area(s) of operation: headquartered in Gaza, recruiting and training fighters; stages limited attacks against Israel (2018)
area(s) of operation: headquartered in Gaza, recruiting and training fighters; stages limited attacks against Israel (2018)
Source: CIA World Factbook - This page was last updated on Friday, November 27, 2020
