As Israel denies striking Gaza hospital, a look at Islamic Jihad, the group it blames

Islamic Jihad, founded in the late 1970s by Fathi Shiqaqi and Abdel-Aziz Odeh, emerged as a Palestinian group seeking an alternative to Yasser Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). The group's core objective remains the destruction of Israel.

Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian militant group with strong ties to Hamas, has refuted Israel's (counter-)allegations that it was responsible for a deadly strike on a hospital in Gaza. The attack, which occurred late on October 17, resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people. Both Israelis and Palestinians have blamed each other for the tragic incident.

But what is the Islamic Jihad and what are its aims?

Islamic Jihad, founded in the late 1970s by Fathi Shiqaqi and Abdel-Aziz Odeh, emerged as a Palestinian group seeking an alternative to Yasser Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). Notably, Shiqaqi was assassinated in 1995, allegedly by Israeli agents.

The group's core objective remains the destruction of Israel, aiming to establish an Islamic state encompassing the entirety of pre-1948 British Mandate Palestine, including the West Bank and Gaza, both of which were captured by Israel during the 1967 Middle East conflict. Islamic Jihad enjoys substantial support from Iran, with estimated annual funding and expertise reaching tens of millions of dollars, according to Israeli assessments.

Operating from foreign headquarters in Beirut and Damascus, Islamic Jihad has recently expanded its presence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. In Gaza, it maintains the second-largest armed network after Hamas. Estimates of the group's strength are challenging to pinpoint, but sources, including the CIA's World Factbook, suggest figures ranging from around 1,000 to several thousand gunmen. Furthermore, Islamic Jihad possesses a significant arsenal of rockets, mortars, and anti-tank missiles, although specific details are not disclosed.

Unlike Hamas, Islamic Jihad has refrained from participating in Palestinian parliamentary elections, signalling its lack of ambition to govern in Gaza or the West Bank. The group is internationally designated as a terrorist organization, a status affirmed by Israel, the United States, and several European countries.

The Al Ahli Arab Hospital bombing in Gaza City has further heightened tensions in an already volatile region, with investigations ongoing as both sides continue to dispute the facts surrounding this tragic event.

(With inputs from Reuters)