What is the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade?
The al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade (Kata’ib Shuhada’ al-Aqsa) emerged from Yasser Arafats Fatah faction of the PLO in 2001, fiercely loyal to Arafat and the Palestinian Authority. The group acts with the help of senior officers of other elements of the Palestinian Authority’s armed entities, the Tanzim and Force 17 [all of which report to Yasser Arafat] who have provided illegal weapons, training and intelligence to help carry out the attacks. The brigade works in complete secrecy, probably composed of a few hundred men, operating in cells. The al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade organized some of the most gruesome terrorist attacks in Israel, especially during the escalation of violence in 2001 and 2002. In that period, the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade increased the level of its cooperation with other terrorist organizations, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad. A number of bombings and shootings were perpetrated by the Al-Aqsa Brigade, individually or in partnership with other terrorist groups, including b
