Al-Quds Brigades
Al-Quds Brigades (AQB; Arabic: سرايا القدس, Sarāyā al-Quds meaning Jerusalem Brigades) is a paramilitary organisation and the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamist organization Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), which is the second largest group in the Gaza Strip, after Hamas. AQB's leader is Ziyad al-Nakhalah, based in Damascus, Syria. The head of AQB in the Gaza Strip was Baha Abu al-Ata until he was killed in November 2019.
| Al-Quds Brigades سرايا القدس | |
|---|---|
Members of Al-Quds brigades parade through the Gaza Strip | |
| Spokesman | Abu Hamza |
| Dates of operation | 1981–present |
| Motives | The establishment of a sovereign, Islamic Palestinian state within the geographic borders of pre-1948 Mandatory Palestine |
| Active regions | Gaza Strip, West Bank, Southern Lebanon |
| Ideology | Palestinian nationalism Islamism Jihadism Anti-Zionism |
| Status | Active |
| Size | 12,000 |
| Allies | State allies: Iran Syria Non-state allies: Al-Qassam Brigades National Resistance Brigades Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades Hezbollah |
| Opponents | Israel |
| Website | saraya |
AQB's parent organization, PIJ, is devoted to the establishment of an Islamic state, and the settlement of Palestinians in what it considers their rightful homeland within the geographic borders of the pre-1948 British-mandated Palestine. It refuses to participate in political processes or negotiations about a swap of Israeli and Palestinian settlements. The PIJ is majority funded by Iran and Syria.