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Jund Ansar Allah
Palestinian militant organization (2008–2009)

Jund Ansar Allah was an armed Palestinian Salafi-jihadist organization operating in the Gaza Strip. It was founded in November 2008 by Sheikh Abdel Latif Moussa. On 14 August 2009, Moussa announced the establishment of the Islamic Emirate of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. The group criticized the ruling power, Hamas, for failing to enforce Sharia law. In response, Hamas attacked the organization, resulting in 24 people killed and a further 150 wounded. The group disbanded after the battle.

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Establishment

See also: Islamization of the Gaza Strip

Jund Ansar Allah was established in November 2008 by Sheikh Abdel Latif Moussa, who had headed a Salafi organization in Gaza since the 1980's, and Khalid Banat (Abu Abdullah Suri), who claimed to have fought with leading al-Qaeda figures including Osama bin Laden and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Jund Ansar Allah was an organization ideologically affiliated with the movement for global jihad.34 Moussa, an "Egyptian-educated physician-turned-cleric," was the group's spiritual leader.5 He left his medical practice in Rafah to become one of the most influential preachers in the southern Gaza Strip. In his Friday prayers that attracted thousands of young men, Moussa argued that Hamas had failed to properly institute Sharia law and had become too lenient. Hamas repeatedly warned Moussa and his followers to abandon his mosque in Rafah.

Armed activities

On 8 June 2009 the group carried out a raid on the Karni border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel. Ten individuals from the group rode into battle on horses laden with large quantities of explosives, with at least three of them being shot dead by Israeli troops. Five Jund Ansar Allah operatives in total died in the operation.6 Israeli officials said several of the men had been wearing explosive belts, and suspected they had been attempting to kidnap a soldier.7

The organization also clashed with Hamas. On 22 July 2009, three Jund Ansar Allah militants holed up in a building in Khan Yunis surrendered in a standoff with Hamas police.8 Hamas officials also blamed the group for the bombings of several internet cafes, seen as a source of immorality, and of a wedding party attended by relatives of the West Bank-based Fatah leader, Mohammed Dahlan, in which fifty people were injured. Jund Ansar Allah denied any responsibility for the latter attack, and Fatah leaders blamed Hamas.9 In August 2009, a senior Hamas official told The Jerusalem Post that Jund Ansar Allah received its weapons from former Fatah policemen and security officials in the southern Gaza Strip and that the aim of its attacks were to "defame" Hamas. On 14 August 2009, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades attacked the Ibn Taymiyyah mosque in Rafah and other bases in Rafah. The fighting lasted 7 hours. It was reported that when Hamas reached the positions of Moussa and Abu Abdullah al Suri, they detonated themselves. About 13 Jund Ansar Allah fighters were killed, 40 were captured, 5 civilians were killed, including 6 Hamas militants. al-Qassam brigades commander Abu Jibril Shimali, was also killed during the battle. The group was virtually destroyed after the fighting, having both of its leaders killed, and its bases captured. It was reported that Hamas later released some of the captured.10111213141516

Islamic Emirate of Rafah

Main articles: Islamic Emirate of Rafah and Battle of Rafah (2009)

The Islamic Emirate of Rafah (Arabic: إِمَارَةُ رَفَحُ ٱلْإِسْلَامِيَّةْ) was a short-lived unrecognized Islamic state located in Rafah.

On Friday, 14 August 2009, the leader of Jund Ansar Allah, Abdel Latif Moussa, unexpectedly declared the creation of an Islamic emirate in the Gaza Strip before 100 of his armed followers at the Ibn Taymiyyah mosque in Rafah after the Friday prayer sermon.17 During his sermon, the Salafist Moussa condemned the nationalist-Islamist Hamas for failing to implement proper Sharia law and "not being any different from a Secular government".1819202122

It collapsed a day later after the 2009 Battle of Rafah.23

After the Battle of Rafah

Remnants of Jund Ansar Allah carried out rocket attacks against Israel in October 2009 and March 2010.24

However Salafi-jihadists, including some who still identified themselves as members of Jund Ansar Allah, said that the group basically became finished, as its leaders were killed and its weapons were seized.25

The last known attack by remmants of Jund Ansar Allah was a bombing of the French cultural center in Gaza on 11 December 2014.262728

Ideology

On its website, the group says it has vowed to God to "fight a jihad for his sake" until the "banner of unity is hoisted" and Muhammad "is made victorious".29 Then on Friday, Jund Ansar Allah announced on its website and jihadist forums its allegiance to the "Islamic emirate in the heart of Beit al-Maqdis [Jerusalem]".30 The website also stated on the day of the clash with Hamas stated:31

The soldiers of Tawhid [unification] will not rest ... until all Muslim lands are liberated and until our imprisoned al-Aqsa [mosque] is purified from the desecration of the accursed Jews.

Jund Ansar Allah also demanded that Hamas "cease its aggression against Salafis" and warned of a confrontation if security forces interfered.32

See also

References

  1. "Hamas: Leader of al-Qaeda-inspired group committed suicide". Ynetnews. Associated Press. 2009-08-15. Retrieved 2023-12-29. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3762066,00.html ↩

  2. Hezbollah and Hamas: A Comparative Study, Joshua L. Gleis, Benedetta Berti, 2012, pp. 115-116, ISBN 9781421406145, 1421406144 ↩

  3. "News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: June 2-9, 2009". Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. 9 June 2009. Archived from the original on 16 June 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090616154549/http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/ipc_e035.htm ↩

  4. Beaumont, Peter (16 August 2009). "Hamas destroys al-Qaida group in violent Gaza battle". The Observer. London. Retrieved 17 August 2009. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/aug/15/hamas-battle-gaza-islamists-al-qaida ↩

  5. "Profile: Jund Ansar Allah". 2009-08-15. Retrieved 2023-12-29. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8203239.stm ↩

  6. "News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: June 2-9, 2009". Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. 9 June 2009. Archived from the original on 16 June 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090616154549/http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/ipc_e035.htm ↩

  7. "Profile: Jund Ansar Allah". 2009-08-15. Retrieved 2023-12-29. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8203239.stm ↩

  8. "Hamas Police End Standoff With Muslim Extremists". Fox News. 22 July 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2009. https://www.foxnews.com/story/hamas-police-end-standoff-with-muslim-extremists ↩

  9. "Profile: Jund Ansar Allah". 2009-08-15. Retrieved 2023-12-29. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8203239.stm ↩

  10. "Profile: Jund Ansar Allah". 2009-08-15. Retrieved 2023-12-29. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8203239.stm ↩

  11. "Hamas and al Qaeda-linked group clash in Gaza | FDD's Long War Journal". www.longwarjournal.org. 2009-08-14. Retrieved 2019-02-28. https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/08/hamas_and_al_qaeda_l.php ↩

  12. "FACTBOX: Five facts about Jund Ansar Allah". Reuters. 2009-08-15. Retrieved 2019-02-28. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-palestinians-hamas-warriors-sb-idUSTRE57E11A20090815 ↩

  13. "Al Qaeda-linked group declares Islamic state in Gaza - The Long War Journal". www.longwarjournal.org. Retrieved 2019-02-28. https://www.longwarjournal.org/videos/2009/08/post.php ↩

  14. Marshall, Warren (2010-11-30). "Al-Qaeda in Gaza: Isolating "the Base"". Contemporary Voices: St Andrews Journal of International Relations. 1 (1). doi:10.15664/jtr.167. hdl:10023/5610. ISSN 2516-3159. https://doi.org/10.15664%2Fjtr.167 ↩

  15. "All 24 victims of Friday". Maan News Agency. Retrieved 2019-02-28. http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?ID=219339 ↩

  16. Beaumont, Peter (2009-08-15). "Hamas destroys al-Qaida group in violent Gaza battle". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2019-02-28. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/aug/15/hamas-battle-gaza-islamists-al-qaida ↩

  17. Hamas says Gaza now under control, BBC News 15-08-2009 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8203713.stm ↩

  18. "'Jund Ansar Allah leader killed himself'". JPost.com The Jerusalem Post. 14 August 2009. Retrieved 6 February 2025. https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/jund-ansar-allah-leader-killed-himself ↩

  19. "Jund Ansar Allah leader killed himself". The Jerusalem Post. 16 August 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2009. [permanent dead link] http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1249418608949&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull ↩

  20. "Profile: Jund Ansar Allah". 2009-08-15. Retrieved 2019-02-28. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8203239.stm ↩

  21. "Hamas and al Qaeda-linked group clash in Gaza". www.longwarjournal.org FDD's Long War Journal. 2009-08-14. Retrieved 2019-02-28. https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/08/hamas_and_al_qaeda_l.php ↩

  22. "FACTBOX: Five facts about Jund Ansar Allah". Reuters. 2009-08-15. Retrieved 2019-02-28. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-palestinians-hamas-warriors-sb-idUSTRE57E11A20090815 ↩

  23. Hezbollah and Hamas: A Comparative Study, Joshua L. Gleis, Benedetta Berti, 2012, pp. 115-116, ISBN 9781421406145, 1421406144 ↩

  24. Berti, Benedetta (2010). "Salafi-Jihadi Activism in Gaza". Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. 3 (5). https://ctc.westpoint.edu/salafi-jihadi-activism-in-gaza-mapping-the-threat/ ↩

  25. "Radical Islam in Gaza" (PDF). International Crisis Group. 29 March 2011. https://www.crisisgroup.org/sites/default/files/104-radical-islam-in-gaza.pdf ↩

  26. Helm, Sarah (2016-01-14). "ISIS in Gaza". The New York Review of Books. Vol. 63, no. 1. ISSN 0028-7504. Retrieved 2025-05-13. https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2016/01/14/isis-in-gaza/ ↩

  27. "جند أنصار الله تتبنى تفجير المركز الفرنسي بغزة" (in Arabic). الجزيرة نت. 18 December 2014. Retrieved 2025-05-19. https://www.aljazeera.net/news/2014/12/18/%D8%AC%D9%86%D8%AF-%D8%A3%D9%86%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%84%D9%87-%D8%AA%D8%AA%D8%A8%D9%86%D9%89-%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%83%D8%B2 ↩

  28. "Jund Ansar Allah (Gaza)". European Council on Foreign Relations. 2018-03-30. Retrieved 2025-05-19. https://ecfr.eu/special/mapping_palestinian_politics/jund_ansar_allah_gaza/ ↩

  29. "Profile: Jund Ansar Allah". 2009-08-15. Retrieved 2023-12-29. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8203239.stm ↩

  30. "Profile: Jund Ansar Allah". 2009-08-15. Retrieved 2023-12-29. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8203239.stm ↩

  31. "Profile: Jund Ansar Allah". 2009-08-15. Retrieved 2023-12-29. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8203239.stm ↩

  32. "Profile: Jund Ansar Allah". 2009-08-15. Retrieved 2023-12-29. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8203239.stm ↩