A new Muslim terrorist group linked to al-Qaida has started operating in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian Authority security officials told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.
Jundallah, or "Allah’s Brigades," consists mostly of scores of former Hamas and Islamic Jihad members, the officials disclosed. They said Jundallah gunmen launched their first attack on IDF soldiers near Rafah earlier this week.
The IDF said four soldiers were lightly wounded in the attack.
Jundallah is a radical Muslim group that has close ties with al-Qaida in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, said one official. "We know for sure that the group is especially active in the southern Gaza Strip," he added.
Another official said that, according to intelligence gathered by the PA security forces, Jundallah consists largely of Hamas and Islamic Jihad dissidents who were unhappy with their groups’ ostensible pragmatism.
"They believe that Hamas and Islamic Jihad have become too moderate," the official said, referring to the two groups’ agreement to temporarily suspend terror attacks on Israel.
The emergence of Jundallah in the Gaza Strip confirms suspicions that al-Qaida has been trying to set foot in the area ahead of Israel’s planned withdrawal.
Abu Abdallah al-Khattab, who identifies himself as the spokesman for Jundallah in the Gaza Strip, on Thursday denied that his group was part of al-Qaida or any other international terror group. He also denied that the group was receiving funds from Muslim terror groups around the world.
"Jundallah does not belong to anyone and we don’t receive money from any group," he said. "Our group, which was established recently, has vowed to avenge the blood of all Palestinians and Muslims who have fallen victim to Israel and the US."
Khattab hinted that his group was also planning to target US interests in the region. "Our people will not remain idle in the face of American crimes in Muslim countries," he said. "It is forbidden to shed the blood of Muslims and it is our duty to respond. The blood of Muslims is not cheap."
He accused the US of desecrating the Koran and killing Muslims in Iraq. "Soon everyone will see operations [against the US] that would make all the Muslims delighted," he cautioned.
He said Jundallah would not honor the unofficial truce with Israel. "We don’t attach any importance to this truce because the occupation forces are continuing their crimes against our people," he added.
Khattab said the attack near Rafah, which was carried out by a Jundallah cell named Abu Dajaneh, was the first in a series of operations that his group was planning against Israel.