The Palestinian Mujahideen Movement (Arabic: حركة المجاهدين الفلسطينية, romanized: Harakat al-Mujāhidīn al-Filastīnīa) is a Palestinian Islamic insurgent group that split from the Fatah Movement alongside its military wing, the Mujahideen Brigades, which originated from the Martyr Jamal Al-Amari Brigade of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades. The movement was founded in 2001 and led by founder Omar Abu Sharia, at the beginning of the Al-Aqsa Intifada.[1]
History
The movement was established in 2001 as a military faction known as the Mujahideen Battalion, headed by the founder, Omar Abu Sharia, with the beginning of the second intifada. As of 2007, the movement is headed by Asad Abu Sharia, after his brother Omar Abu Sharia was killed during a targeted attack carried out by Israel.
In 2012, a cell of the movement from Hebron and the Gaza Strip planned to kidnap an Israeli citizen, as a bargaining chip for the release of Palestinian's from the movement imprisoned in Israel.[2]
Over the years, the movement became a member of the Hamas-led government in Gaza and cooperated with it in operations, supplying weapons and training.[3]
Omar Abu Sharia
The organization was founded in 2006 by Omar Abu Sharia (Arabic: عمر أبو شريعة).[4][5] Omar Abu Sharia was assassinated in 2006 and died in 2007, he died of his injuries 6 or 7 months after the attack (aged 30 years), according to a statement by allied group Saraya al-Quds.[6][7] According to Palestinian media, he was assassinated by an air strike on the car he was in on 14 October 2006.[8] The other person in the car died immediately, and Abu Sharia died of his injuries on 25 April 2007.[9]
The Mujahideen Brigades often promote or endorse a Palestinian religious group called the "Rightly Guided Caliphs" (Arabic: مجمع الخلفاء الراشدين الدعوي, romanized: Mujmae al-Khulafā' al-Rāshidīn al-Duewī).[12][13]
