HAMAS'S EXECUTIVE FORCE AND ARMED WING
First deployed on the streets of Gaza in May 2006, Hamas's Executive Force has grown from an estimated 3,000 members to nearly 6,000.
The Executive Force is built mostly from members of the Hamas armed wing, the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, but it includes some members from allied militant factions such as the Popular Resistance Committees. The Qassam Brigades are believed to have 15,000 members but it is unclear how many of them overlap with the Executive Force and other units.
Well-armed and highly motivated, Hamas forces appeared to have the upper hand in factional fighting before the formation of a unity government in March, according to U.S. and Israeli intelligence estimates.
U.S. and Israeli security officials accuse Hamas of receiving money, weapons and training from Iran and other Islamist allies. Hamas does not provide information about the force's funding.
ABBAS'S PRESIDENTIAL GUARD
With U.S. backing, Abbas's elite presidential guard has grown in size to about 5,000 men in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, up from 2,500 members when Hamas took power in March 2006.
The guard is expanding fast, and receives the best equipment and training of all the official security forces. Washington recently launched a $59.4 million security program which includes $43.4 million to "transform and strengthen" Abbas's presidential guard.
FATAH'S AL-AQSA BRIGADES
The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an offshoot of Fatah, is believed to have several thousand armed members in Gaza, many of whom also work for the security services. While large in number, analysts say they are not as well organized and equipped as the Qassam Brigades. They also lack Hamas's highly centralized command and control structure.
OTHER FATAH-DOMINATED FORCES
Fatah has been recruiting and training a new "special" force as a counterweight to Hamas's Executive Force. During last month's fighting, a 450-strong Fatah contingent loyal to Abbas crossed into Gaza from Egypt, where they had been receiving advanced training in police tactics.
National Security Forces under Abbas's direct command include Military Intelligence, the Naval Police and the elite Force 17. They are not as well equipped as the presidential guard but are believed to have up to 30,000 members in all.
Under Abbas's control, General Intelligence is believed to have 5,000 members.
In theory, the Palestinian Police and Preventive Security falls under the jurisdiction of the Interior Ministry. But in practice, they are dominated by loyalists of Abbas's Fatah movement and Hamas has struggled to exert control over them. Their total strength is estimated at about 30,000. |
