Interesting story here from ThreatsWatch stating that al-Qaeda has a presence in Palastinian Territories:

With the latest release of yet another global message from al-Qaeda’s Ayman al-Zawahiri, there is certainly much to comb over. On its surface, it appears primarily a repeat of calls for more jihad, with merely new causations and motivations.

What stands out as somewhat different, however, is the encouragement and, at times, instruction offered to Hamas in light of their electoral victory in the Palestinian Territories. Before looking at what Zawahiri specifically had to say to the Hamas leadership, context is needed to understand what effect if any it will or will not have on Hamas. It is important to attempt to understand how al-Qaeda is viewed by Hamas. This will be a determining factor as to the impact of Zawahiri’s words.

First, consider that Hamas’ Fatah rival has publicly acknowledged that al-Qaeda has some form of presence in the Palestinian Territories. This is not a new development, but the news value is in Abbas’ public discussion of this and his aims in such a disclosure. Since the Israeli pullout of Gaza, an al-Qaeda presence has been acknowledged by the Israelis, Jordan’s King Abdullah and a statement from a new al-Qaeda group calling themselves the ‘Palestine Frontier Jihad Brigades’. For al-Qaeda, Gaza truly is a new frontier.

Rest of article HERE