State allies: Iran Syria Non-state allies: Al-Qassam Brigades Al-Quds Brigades Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades Hezbollah Jihad Jibril Brigades
Opponents
Israel
Battles and wars
First Intifada Second Intifada 2023 Israel–Hamas war
The National Resistance Brigades (Arabic: كتائب المقاومة الوطنية, romanized: Katāʼib al-Muqāwamah al-Waṭanīyah), also known as Martyr Omar Al-Qassem Forces or Martyr Omar Al-Qasim Forces,[3] are the military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which operates in Gaza[4] and conducts guerilla warfare.[5] Abu Khaled is one of its commanders.[6]
It was formed in 1969[7] but it was established in late September 2000.[clarification needed][8] The group was initially known as the Red Star Brigades, before being renamed the Palestinian National Resistance Battalions during the Second Intifada.[9] They remain committed to a non-intervention policy in the domestic affairs of any Arab country.[10]
In August 2001, Palestinian security forces Amin Abu Hatab, aged 26, and Hisham Abu Jamus, aged 24, carried out an attack on an Israeli army base.[11] They killed three Israeli soldiers.[12] In 2005 they reorganized before the Israeli disengagement from Gaza and took part in firing rockets and mortars against Israeli areas inside Gaza's borders.[13]
In October 2007, they signed an agreement with other Palestinian factions, including Fatah's al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, and between 2010 and 2011 they carried out terror attacks with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.[9] On 26 September they shelled Sderot with the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, which they said was a response to Israeli crimes against Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.[14] In May 2017 they conducted a joint exercise with the Abdel Qader al-Husseini Brigades at a military training site in the Gaza Strip to display new artillery and missile tactics.[15]
On 30 March 2018, 'Abd al-Qader Mardi and Suliman al-Hawajri, members of the National Resistance Brigades, were killed during the Great Return March but didn't participate in hostilities.[16][17][18] In 2020 they expanded their online presence and they promoted their militant activity on Telegram.[19] In May 2021 they targeted Sufa, in Israel, with rockets.[20]
In February 2023, they announced that they bombed Israeli settlements bordering the Gaza Strip in response to Israeli strikes,[21] and in April they bombed the city of Ashkelon.[citation needed] They participated in the 2023 Israel–Hamas war against Israeli forces[22] and their troops joined the operation launched by Hamas.[23] On 7 October they claimed to have lost three fighters in combat with the Israel Defense Forces, and on 8 October they were engaged with Israeli forces in Kfar Aza, Be'eri, and Kissufim.[24]