Ma'an -- Ultra-Islamist groups in the Gaza Strip urged their members to resist arrest on Tuesday, days after Hamas forces killed 24 members of a group that declared an Islamic emirate in Palestine.Sheikh Abdul Latif Abu Moussa, leader of Jund Ansar Allah ("Warriors for God"), a radical armed group thought to be ideologically aligned with Al-Qaeda, made the declaration on Friday at a mosque in the city of Rafah. Sensing a challenge to their authority in Gaza, Hamas forces then moved in killing Abu Moussa and 23 of his followers.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the groups called on their members to use force if Hamas forces try to detain them. "Hamas forces continued to pursue our followers in the Gaza Strip, ransacking their homes, but that will lead to nothing because our fighters will not hand themselves over," the statement explained.
The ultra-Islamic groups denied all accusations that the groups received backing from Israel or from Fatah's former Gaza strongman, Muhammad Dahlan. "All the financial aid for the Islamic groups comes from the Sunni groups in Palestine and abroad as charities," the statement added.
The groups also denounced Hamas accusations of the group that it accuses others of being infidels, or non-Muslims. They also accused Hamas' military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, of being behind a series of bomb blasts in Gaza cafes hair salons. During the operation in Rafah, Hamas authorities accused Jund Ansar Allah of carrying out the attacks.
The fight between Jund Ansar Allah and Hamas was the deadliest instance of fighting between Hamas, which espouses a nationalist brand of Islamism, and more extreme groups aligned with pan-Islamist Al-Qaeda.