page_title: Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
section_title: Name
hierarchical_section_title: Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades / Name
caption_attribution_description: English: Izz ad-Din al-Qassam (pleas avoid use it in an abusive manner)עברית: עז א-דין אל-קסאם
context_page_description: The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades 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 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. Yahya Sinwar, Hamas political leader in the Gaza Strip since February 2017, is a military leader in the Brigades in Gaza.
  The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades are listed as a terrorist organisation by the European Union, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
context_section_description: The group is named after Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, a Muslim preacher in Mandatory Palestine. In 1930 al-Qassam organised and established the Black Hand, a militant organisation that was opposed to Zionism and British and French rule in the Levant.
caption: Izz ad-Din al-Qassam
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