Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices

Often shortened to “Al-Qassem Brigades,” this organization is generally recognized as the so-called “armed wing” of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Operating primarily in the Gaza Strip but also active in the West Bank and other occupied territories, its stated goal is the destruction of the state of Israel and the transformation of historic Palestine into a state governed under Islamic law. Its namesake, Izz-ad-Din al-Qassem, helped organize resistance to British rule in Palestine as well as increasing Zionist immigration. His death in 1935 at the hands of the British police helped trigger the Arab Revolt of 1936-1939. The Al-Qassem Brigades have orchestrated most of Hamas’s most famous and deadly attacks, including many suicide bombings during the Second Intifada (2000-2005) as well as the October 7, 2023, attacks that marked the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. Many governments around the world have designated them a terrorist organization, either on their own or in association with Hamas, due to their refusal to distinguish between civilian and military targets, as well as their use of Palestinian civilians as human shields.

From the Arabic for “shaking off,” this term refers to two distinct uprisings that occurred in the occupied Palestinian territories (primarily the West Bank and Gaza) against Israeli military rule, which was instituted after the June 1967 Six Day War. The first occurred in December 1987, with a massive and spontaneous outbreak of resistance after an Israeli truck struck and killed Palestinian workers near a refugee camp. Tensions flared for several years, and the sheer intractability of Palestinian resistance ultimately compelled Israel to begin a peace process, negotiated directly with Palestine rather than other Arab states, as had been their policy. The Oslo Accords of 1993 ushered in a process to negotiate a Palestinian state, but by 2000, frustration with that process culminated in riots over General Ariel Sharon’s visit to the Temple Mount (also the site of the Al-Aqsa Mosque; see below). The Second Intifada proved increasingly violent, with several suicide bombings by various Palestinian militant groups coupled with brutal retaliations by the Israeli military. Tensions ultimately died down in 2005, as Israel constructed a security barrier around the West Bank and withdrew its settlers from Gaza, but little was done to address the fundamental tensions.

The PA was a creation of the 1993 Oslo Accords, an initial attempt to establish institutions of Palestinian governance. It is, in some respects, a successor organization to the PLO, the umbrella network of groups organized in 1964 to advance the cause of a Palestinian state. While the PLO still exists today, the PA marked a significant transition from a rebel group (including dissident political parties, guerrilla forces, and terrorist cells) into a governing agency that recognized the right of Israel to exist. The Oslo Accords divided portions of Palestine into those with near-complete autonomy, cooperation with Israeli security officials, or completely under Israeli rule. Over time, many came to see the PA as accessories to Israeli occupation rather than its challengers, especially as the Oslo process did little to stem the expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied territories. The PA remains the government of the legitimately (although not universally) recognized Palestinian state, but it has been perceived as ineffective due to its restricted functions and failure to control all of Palestine, with Gaza under the control of Hamas since 2007.