Hamas/Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

As of May 21, 2021, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) had launched more than 4,000 rockets toward southern Israel, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem, killing at 12 and wounding at least 330. In Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry reported at least 232 people had been killed. Israel claims at least 120 of those people killed belonged to Hamas while 25 belonged to PIJ. On May 20, Hamas and Israel agreed to a ceasefire, which went into effect on May 21. The fighting was the worst between Hamas and Israel since their 2014 war.

Leaders

Ismail Haniyeh

Chief of Political Bureau, former deputy leader of Hamas, Hamas’s former prime minister of Gaza, former prime minister of the Palestinian Authority (deceased)

Khaled Meshaal

Head of Hamas’s Diaspora Office; Deputy Leader; Former Chief of Hamas’s Political Bureau

Yahya Sinwar

Chair of Hamas's Political Bureau (deceased)

Saleh al-Arouri

Deputy chair of Hamas’s political bureau; West Bank leader (deceased)

Moussa Mohammed Abu Marzouk

Member of Hamas’s Political Bureau; deputy leader of Diaspora Office

Mohammed Deif

Chief of Hamas's military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades (deceased)

Ziad al-Nakhalah

Secretary-General

Ramadan Abdullah Shallah

Former Secretary-General (deceased)

Hamas

Hamas is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood that emerged in the Gaza Strip in the late 1980s. The group’s ideology blends Islamism and Palestinian nationalism and seeks the destruction of Israel and the creation of an Islamic state.

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Palestinian Islamic Jihad

Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is a Palestinian Islamist terrorist group sponsored by Iran and Syria. Founded in 1979 as an offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, PIJ is the second-largest terrorist group in Gaza today (after Hamas).

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Muslim Brotherhood in the Palestinian Territories

The Muslim Brotherhood’s presence in the Palestinian territories dates back to the 1960s, when the group established a set of charities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. 

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News and Blogs

News

EU Observer: Prelude to annexation: Can EU stop Israel's UNRWA ban?

""The internal UN inquiry was wholly inadequate and its conclusions complacent. A great deal more evidence has emerged since then," said Edmund Fitton-Brown, the UK’s former ambassador to Yemen, who is now a counter-terrorism expert with the New…

News

DW News: Can Egypt Convince Israel And Hamas On A Temporary Truce In Gaza?

“Egypt has proposed a two-day truce in Gaza as a prelude to a longer cease-fire. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called on Hamas to free four of the Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. He proposed more negotiations to follow that…

News

DW News: Israeli Strike 'Fairly Proportional'

"DW spoke with Middle East security expert Hans-Jakob Schindler about the risk of a further escalation in the Middle East after Israel’s retaliatory strikes on Iran."

News

Focus: Expert warns: Violence at anti-Israel demonstrations reaches new dimension

CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler interviewed: "Violence at anti-Israel demonstrations in Germany is escalating. With growing concerns about security, police and authorities are facing new challenges. Terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler…

News

EU Reporter: French Neocolonialism: a Threat to the European Economy and Security

"According to the experts of the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) France and Qatar’s relationship deepened in 2024 with a €10 billion investment agreement, marking a strategic partnership. While the partnership boosts the French economy, particularly…

News

New Israel: What Sinwar’s Possessions Say About His Pre-Death Movements

“Having access to a humanitarian passport—even if expired in 2017—could possibly provide access to humanitarian corridors to evacuate a crisis zone,” said Riza Kumar, a research analyst with the Counter Extremism Project, a nonprofit policy group. “…

News

WTOP: 454 | The Story Behind Yahya Sinwar’s Killing

"Hans Jakob Schindler, Sr. Director at the Counter Extremism Project discusses how Israeli forces found Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and the circumstances of his death."

Press Release

Statement on the Death of Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar

(New York, N.Y.) — Counter Extremism Project (CEP) CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace and President Fran Townsend issued the following statement today, on the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza following a successful Israel Defense Force…

News

Washington Free Beacon: An Assault Rifle, an UNRWA Passport, and $11K in Cash: What Sinwar's Possessions Say About His Pre-Death Movements

""Having access to a humanitarian passport—even if expired in 2017—could possibly provide access to humanitarian corridors to evacuate a crisis zone," said Riza Kumar, a research analyst with the Counter Extremism Project, a nonprofit policy group…

News

FOCUS: Sinwar’s Death Offers Netanyahu A Great Opportunity – But The Window Of Opportunity Is Small

“The death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar could have a decisive influence on the conflict in the Gaza Strip - but only for a short time. Terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler examines the consequences and opportunities that now arise for Israel and…

Daily Dose

Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.

Fact:

On October 7, 2023, Hamas invaded southern Israel where, in the space of eight hours, hundreds of armed terrorists perpetrated mass crimes of brutality, rape, and torture against men, women and children. In the biggest attack on Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust, 1,200 were killed, and 251 were taken hostage into Gaza—where 101 remain. One year on, antisemitic incidents have increased by record numbers. 

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