Dead Sea Operation: The Most Significant Signal

Two young men in their mid-twenties, residents of the northern suburb of Al-Hashimi in Amman, are well-educated and members of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic Action Front. Hossam Abu Ghazaleh, a renewable energy engineer, is married with children, while Amer Qais, a schoolteacher, holds a degree in Islamic jurisprudence (Shafi’I) from the International Islamic Science University. According to close acquaintances, they were active members of the middle class and involved in public activism with the Muslim Brotherhood.

These two “comrades” carried out a military operation in the southern Dead Sea, Jordan, injuring two Israeli soldiers on Friday, the day after the assassination of Yahya Sinwar was announced. Their photos and a will were shared on social media, marking a first precedent for Jordanians. From their statements, it is evident that they had decided to carry out this operation even before the official announcement of Sinwar’s assassination, perhaps considering it a response to that event.

Upon closely examining their social media profiles, it becomes apparent that Israeli aggression in Gaza had a deep emotional and intellectual impact on them. However, they appear far removed from the known tenets of Jordanian jihadism. Rather, they are ideologically rooted in the Muslim Brotherhood and are strong supporters of Hamas and the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Surprisingly, they also seem to lean towards moderate religious and doctrinal mysticism. This is especially true for Amer Qais, whose social media profile and relationships show close ties with official religious figures and institutions not typically associated with political activism. Additionally, he is an outspoken supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic Action Front.

In addition, their friends within the Muslim Brotherhood report that both men were highly active in popular activities supporting Hamas, especially during the recent parliamentary elections, in which the IAF achieved a significant victory—securing 31 seats and nearly half a million votes on the national party list. This represented 30% of the votes cast in Jordan, potentially increasing to 40% when considering canceled and blank ballots. Many attribute this victory to Hamas’ popularity among the Jordanian populace.

This is not the first instance of young Jordanians carrying out or attempting operations in the West Bank. Israeli reports frequently mention recent attempts. Within the Muslim Brotherhood, this pattern of youth-led operations dates back to the period before the first Intifada in 1988. The current operation comes weeks after a more aggressive operation by a Jordanian truck driver who killed several Israelis before he was killed. 

What makes this operation particularly significant and perhaps most alarming is that it signals a new direction for a generation of young people, deeply angered by recent events. They have grown up witnessing pivotal moments, such as the US embassy move to Jerusalem, confrontations in the West Bank (before the Al-Aqsa Flood), and later the Al-Aqsa Flood itself. This generation is highly mobilized against Israel, the US, the West, and Arab governments that have appeared powerless in response. The next phase may see a wave of angry young people, not represented by the previous two decades of Salafi-jihadism (“al-Qaeda” and later “ISIS”). This new wave will be more politically charged and deeply tied to the Palestinian cause and the Al-Aqsa Flood. The shock of witnessing international hypocrisy, Arab weakness, the new Nakba in Gaza, assassinations, destruction, and Israeli brutality will shape the consciousness of the new generation in Jordan and across the Arab and Islamic world.