HAMAS CONFRONTS ISLAMIC EXTREMIST GROUP IN GAZA

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 001451 SIPDIS NOFORN NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND NEA/IPA; PRM FOR FRONT OFFICE AND PRM/ANE; NSC FOR SHAPIRO/KUMAR;JOINT CHIEFS FOR LTG SELVA E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/17/2019 TAGS: PTER PGOV KPAL KWBG KISL SUBJECT: HAMAS CONFRONTS ISLAMIC EXTREMIST GROUP IN GAZA Classified By: DPO Greg Marchese for reasons 1.4 (b,d). ¶1. (C/NF) Summary. Fighting between Hamas-led security forces and Jund Ansar Allah during August 14-15 in Rafah resulted in 28 dead and over 120 wounded. Casualties included Jund Ansar Allah leader Sheikh Abdel Latif Mousa and senior Hamas member Abu Jibril Shamali. Gaza-based contacts said they were not surprised by the incident, noting that Hamas' warnings to the militant group over the past two weeks went unheeded. End Summary. Hamas Quells Extremist Islamic Group -------------- ¶2. (C/NF) PA security contacts report that, on August 14, Sheikh Abdel Latif Mousa (aka Nour al Maqdisi),head of a militant Islamist group called Jund Ansar Allah, challenged Hamas during Friday prayers, declaring Gaza an "Islamist Emirate" and Hamas a legitimate target, due to its failure to impose Sharia law in Gaza. (Note: Jund Ansar Allah claimed credit for a July attack on IDF positions at Nahal Oz. End Note.) In response, Hamas-led security forces surrounded the mosque with the apparent intent of arresting Mousa, who was accompanied by supporters, including a Syrian Khaled Banat (aka Abu Abdullah Suri). After Mousa fled to his nearby home in Rafah, Hamas forces surrounded it. Gunfire was exchanged at both the mosque and the residence. ¶3. (C/NF) According to PA contacts, a senior Hamas member, Abu Jibril Shamali, was sent into Mousa's house with two or three other Hamas members in an attempt to negotiate. Soon after, Shamali and his associates were shot and killed. Hamas forces then retaliated with mortars and explosives, destroying the home and extensively damaging the mosque. At least 28 were killed and 120 injured in the fighting, according to PA contacts. Hamas authorities prevented media coverage of unfolding events at the two sites as well as at the hospitals where the wounded were treated. PA security contacts also reported that Hamas forces made hundreds of arrests August 15-16 against anyone suspected of ties to the various militant groups, including Jaljalat and the Dughmush clan. Hamas Takes a Hit to Public Image? -------------- ¶4. (C/NF) UN official Alexei Maslov told PolOff that the incident sends two messages. For the domestic audience in Gaza, it shows Hamas capable of preserving its monopoly of force. For regional and international audiences, Hamas appears prepared to act as a "partner" and able to "deliver Gaza" as part of a larger deal. PA Information Director Ghassan al-Khatib took a dimmer view of Hamas' messaging, telling PolChief that media images of Hamas fighting "other Palestinians" in Gaza tarnished the faction's image, especially when juxtaposed with press coverage of Fatah's participation in a peaceful political process in the final days of the Sixth Party Congress. Hamas: Not Islamist Enough? -------------- ¶5. (C/NF) Rafah-based Palestinian contacts said they had anticipated an incident between Hamas and Jund Ansar Allah, following repeated Hamas warnings in recent weeks to the group to refrain from using the mosque as an operational headquarters. Gaza-based UN contacts also suggested they were not surprised by the incident, noting that Islamist hard-liners, such as Mousa, view Hamas as moving too much towards the political center while not adequately implementing Islamic Sharia law in Gaza. WALLES