Formally known as the Palestine National Liberation Movement, Fatah has traditionally been the largest and most influential member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Shortly after its founding in 1964, it fell under the charismatic leadership of Yasser Arafat. Inspired by anticolonial movements in Vietnam, Algeria, and elsewhere, he placed the Palestinian struggle within a global narrative of people from developing nations fighting for freedom. Operating as both a militant leader and a globetrotting public figure, he eventually led a PLO delegation at the United Nations. However, as a militant figure, Arafat was less successful, driven to Jordan, Lebanon, and Tunisia before returning to Palestine as the chief negotiator with Israel in the peace process, culminating in the Oslo Accords. The peace process established Fatah as the leading political party in Palestine, although following the Second Intifada, Hamas emerged to challenge them for primacy. Palestine has been split between Hamas-controlled Gaza and Fatah-controlled West Bank ever since.

Often shortened to “Al-Qassem Brigades,” this organization is generally recognized as the so-called “armed wing” of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Operating primarily in the Gaza Strip but also active in the West Bank and other occupied territories, its stated goal is the destruction of the state of Israel and the transformation of historic Palestine into a state governed under Islamic law.