Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is a terrorist group based in the West Bank affiliated with the Fatah
organization. The group is named after Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque, on the site where the Jewish Temple once stood, which is considered one of the holiest sites for Muslims.
The Brigades emerged at the beginning of the Palestinian intifada in 2000, which began shortly after Ariel Sharon, who was head of the opposition in the Knesset at the time, visited the Temple Mount site under heavy guard.
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades have targeted both Israeli civilians and military personnel. The group was added to the U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations following a 2002 suicide attack in Jerusalem.
Israel claims that Fatah funds the organization and has uncovered documents pointing to ties between the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat
and the terror group.
Although the Brigades is a secular group, it has used tactics, including suicide bombings, popular with Islamic terror groups such as Hamas.
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