A fresh edition, the third to date, of a 'news bulletin' purporting to be al-Qaeda's appeared Tuesday on the Internet including an item suggesting that the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas group has joined the international Jihadist cause. "The information network of the Palestinian Ezzedin al-Qassam Brigade (Hamas' military wing) has created a video, 'the resistance will prevail' in which it exalts a great Jihad to free Jerusalem" said the bulletin's announcer, adding "may Allah help them stay firm on the road to the truth." The first edition of the newscast 'Sout al-Khalifa' (Voice of the Caliphate) appeared on the Internet on 21 September.The choice of opening item gives the impression that the Ezzedin al-Qassam Brigade, the military arm of Hamas, is entering the Jihadi galaxy alongside groups such as al-Qaeda in Iraq and Ansar al-Sunna, though to date there has been no proof of any link between al-Qaeda and Hamas.
In a marked change, the presenter - whose face is covered by a red Kefiya, (traditional Arab headgear) - appears without the rifle or the copy of the Koran which were alongside the newsreader in the previous editions.
The latest bulletin is dedicated to Ramadan and the presenter offering his greetings to Muslims for the start of the holy month.
Items include statements of the Islamic groups active in Jihad; al-Qaeda in Iraq, the Islamic Army in Iraq, Ansar al-Sunna and the Ezzeddin al-Qassam Brigades - the military arm of Palestinian Hamas.
The news broadcast focuses on the latest video by Ansar al-Sunna, entitled "the difference between the followers of the Merciful and those of Satan", which is accompanied by several minutes of footage showing Islamic mujahadeen and Iraqis fighting alongside American forces.
There is space too for a video by al-Qaeda in Iraq to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of Omar Hadid, head of the organisation in Fallujah. Also included is a list of the attacks carried out by Iraqi armed groups over the past week.
Regarding the announcement by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's group that it had killed two American marines, the presenter reads the comments published in a statement by an Iraqi Al-Qaeda leader, Omar al-Baghdadi. He justifies the fact that a video proving the death of the two servicement had not yet been issued, saying this is not possible because the town of Ramadi is surrounded by US troops.
The presenter recalls that for the first time - reporting the alleged death of the two marines - the Qatari television Al Jazeera had defined Abu Maysira al-Iraqi as official spokesman of al-Qaeda in Iraq. He also criticises the fact that "the statement was read in only six news bulletins".
The newscast continues with the presenter reading the latest information of the situation in Gaza, informing the audience of the attempt by the Palestinian police to arrest the son of a Hamas leader, Abdelaziz Rantisi. In its description of the gunbattle that followed, it describes the Hamas militia as 'mujahadeen' on a par with those of other groups within the al-Qaeda galaxy.
The latest edition of "Voice of the Caliphate" concludes with brief news items about Afghanistan Egypt and Algeria. On Afghanistan there is news of the Taliban's actions against American troops and the arrest in Pakistan last week of the Taliban's spokesman, Abdelatif Hakimi in Pakistan.