Islamic Jihad's foreign relations chief, political bureau member killed in strike in Syria

Two senior figures of IIslamic Jihad were killed in an Israeli strike on Syria on Thursday, according to a source from the Palestinian group, which has engaged in conflicts against Israel in Gaza alongside Hamas.

The source informed AFP on Saturday (November 16) that Abdel Aziz Minawi, a member of Islamic Jihad’s political bureau, and Rasmi Abu Issa, the group’s foreign relations chief, were both killed in the strike on Qudsaya, located in the Damascus area.

The Israeli military, which typically does not comment on specific strikes in Syria, claimed responsibility for Thursday’s operation targeting Islamic Jihad.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the Thursday strikes in and around Damascus killed 23 people, including civilians, Iran-backed fighters, and Islamic Jihad militants.

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The Observatory said 13 people were killed in an upscale area of Damascus called Mazzeh, while 10 Islamic Jihad militants died in an attack on the city’s outskirts.

What is the Islamic Jihad movement in Palestine?

The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine was founded by Palestinian students in Egypt.

Its stated objective the liberation of historic Palestine– to establish a sovereign Palestinian state encompassing the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and other territories currently under Israeli control, according to Al Jazeera.

Its military wing, the Al-Quds Brigades, has been responsible for numerous attacks against Israeli targets since the 1990s, including suicide bombings, rocket attacks, and other forms of armed resistance, according to the Directorate of National Intelligence.

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The organisation receives support from Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah, aligning itself with the broader “Axis of Resistance” against Israel and Western influence in West Asia.

Islamic Jihad had participated in the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel alongside Hamas. It continues to hold several Israeli hostages to this day.

The group recently released video footage of one hostage, 29-year-old Russian-Israeli Sasha Trupanov.

With inputs from AFP