The top sharia official from the Muhajireen Brigade, an al Qaeda-linked jihadist group in Syria, slammed Hamas’ recent crackdown against Salafi jihadists in the Gaza Strip. The official also called on Hamas to join hands with the Salafi jihadists in Gaza to fight Israel.
Muhammad Ahmed Qanitah was a member of the al Qaeda-linked Tawhid and Jihad Group in Jerusalem, and previously served in Hamas’ Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
Ahmed Jabari, the leader of the Ezzedine al Qassam Brigades, and his aide were killed in a series of airstrikes that targeted Hamas military leaders and rocket launch sites.
On Saturday, the Israeli Air Force killed Abu al Walid al Maqdisi, the former emir of the Tawhid and Jihad Group in Jerusalem. Al Maqdisi’s death may provide evidence of the consolidation of Salafi-Jihadist groups in Gaza into the Mujahideen Shura Council.