As the Israel-Hamas war enters its 18th day, reports have emerged that the Islamist terror organisations Al-Qaeda and ISIS have called on their supporters to attack Israeli, US and Jewish targets raising the possibility of increased terrorist activities in the Middle East and in the West, including nations like the United States and the United Kingdom.
Al-Qaeda affiliates have made a series of statements over the past two weeks congratulating Hamas for the unprecedented attack it launched on Israel on Saturday 7 October 2023.
Shabaab, al-Qaeda’s branch in Somalia in East Africa had recently asserted that the conflict in the Middle East is not limited to “the battle of the Islamic factions in the land of Palestine in particular, but rather the battle of the entire Muslim Ummah.”
“Muslims must gather and offer everything they can to support the mujahideen against the Jews and their hypocritical infidel allies. The strength of this nation lies in the strength of its jihadist fronts,” it said.
Al-Qaeda branches located in Yemen, Syria, and the Indian subcontinent also reiterated the calls made by al-Shabaab.
According to The Long War Journal, a news website with a US presence that covers the fight against terrorism said that Al-Qaeda branches in North and West Africa hailed the Hamas strikes on Israel.
While hailing the October 7 attacks, the Islamist terrorist group said, “We congratulate your actions and urge you to continue, biting your teeth with patience on the path of jihad. They [the Palestinians] attacked the Jews … wanting to lift the sword of humiliation from their necks.”
Hamas and its call for jihad
On Wednesday (11th October), Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh (2017-present) called upon the Muslim community to engage in ‘global jihad’ and sacrifice their lives for the cause of Palestine. The development was confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) by Israeli journalist Emily Schrader.
Since 2020, he along with other Hamas leadership has been operating from Doha in Qatar because Egypt limited his movement into and out of Gaza.
On Wednesday (11th October), former Hamas supremo Khaled Mashal (2014-2017) announced, “(We must) head to the squares and streets of the Arab and Islamic world on Friday…To all scholars who teach jihad…to all who teach and learn, this is a moment for the application (of jihad).”
The Islamic terrorist further appealed to Jordanians, “Tribes of Jordan, sons of Jordan, brothers and sisters of Jordan … This is a moment of truth and the borders are close to you, you all know your responsibility.”
