Islamic Jihad rise in Gaza challenges Hamas rule

Since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2007, killing and expelling Fatah militiamen, it never faced a real challenge to its rule. Until now its main adversary today is Islamic Jihad, which until about a year ago was considered one of Hamas’s proxies that heeded its authority and regularly fell in line with Hamas policy on when and when not to attack Israel.

In recent months though, Islamic Jihad has made an impressive leap in its capabilities and military infrastructure. This is a direct result of Iran’s decision to divert funds traditionally allocated to Hamas to Islamic Jihad instead.

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