| Jenin Brigades | |
|---|---|
| كتيبة جنين | |
| Founder | Jamil Al-Amouri |
| Leader | Mateen Dabaya † |
| Foundation | 2021 |
| Headquarters | Jenin, West Bank, Palestine |
| Ideology | Palestinian nationalism |
| Part of | Al-Quds Brigades Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigadesal-Qassam Brigades |
| Allies | Tulkarm Battalion |
| Opponents | Israel Palestinian Authority |
| Battles and wars | Israeli–Palestinian conflict |
The Jenin Brigades, also referred to as the Jenin Battalion or Jenin Brigade[1][2] (Arabic: كتيبة جنين, romanized: Katībat Ǧinīn), is a Palestinian militant group in the West Bank. It was founded in Jenin in 2021 by Jamil Al-Amouri, a militant of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). The organization is based in the Jenin refugee camp in the North of the West Bank. Like most other West Bank militias,[3] the Jenin Brigades are an umbrella formation affiliated with PIJ, Hamas, and the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades.[4]
The Jenin Brigades have engaged in armed skirmishes with Israeli forces.[5] They claim they "are the resistance". They call for armed resistance against Israel and for the Palestinian authorities to take part in the movement.[6]
History and background
The Jenin Brigades, believed to be established in the Jenin refugee camp by Jamil al-Amouri before his death in June 2021, were first reported following their participation in the escape of Palestinian prisoners from the Israeli Gilboa prison on the 6th of September 2021.[7] The brigades also took part in the kidnapping of the body of Tiran Fero, a 17-year-old Israeli Druze, on November 23, 2022.[8]
During the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and its spillover into the West Bank, they have repeatedly clashed with Israeli forces conducting incursions into Jenin.[9][10][11][12] The Brigades also participated in the July 2024 West Bank unrest against the Palestinian Authority.[13][14][15] In December 2024, the Palestinian Authority launched an operation into Jenin to combat the Jenin Brigades.[16][17]
Members
Mateen Dabaya
Mateen Dabaya was a leader of the group. He was killed in October 2022, at the age of 20, during a military operation carried out by the Israeli forces in the Jenin refugee camp.[18]
Attacks
- Kidnapping of Tiran Fero, a 17-year old Israeli Druze student[19]
Haaretz allegation of nonexistence
On 28 January 2025, a Haaretz article by Yaniv Kubovich claimed that the Jenin Brigades (referred to as "the Hamas battalion in the refugee camp") do not actually exist, and are an Israeli invention for the purposes of linking the Jenin raid to the Gaza war. The article states that the only so-called militants in Jenin are "young criminals who... had been getting a few hundred dollars to shoot at IDF forces", and cites the unidentified commander of the Menashe Brigade who admitted there was not really a "battalion".[20]
See also
References
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