ISIS dedicated recent issues of the “Al-Naba” newspaper to leveraging the Gaza War for the pursuit of its goals, primarily aimed at expanding its followership in Arab and Islamic countries. Concurrently, the organization sought to reestablish connections with its lone wolves in the West and reignite their motivation to carry out impactful attacks. In addition, ISIS expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of advanced ideologies in local jihad, fearing potential fragmentation of its branches, especially in Africa. Moreover, the group intensified its competition with other extremist factions.

In its strategic approach, ISIS was particularly focused on using the Gaza War as a means to strengthen its dynamic foundations, essential for its global expansion plan. This plan hinges on persuading supporters and sympathizers that defeating the West will occur through the overthrow of governments in Arab and Islamic countries, aligning with what is

Dynamic Messages 

ISIS dedicated recent issues of the “Al-Naba” newspaper to leveraging the Gaza War for the pursuit of its goals, primarily aimed at expanding its followership in Arab and Islamic countries. Concurrently, the organization sought to reestablish connections with its lone wolves in the West and reignite their motivation to carry out impactful attacks. In addition, ISIS expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of advanced ideologies in local jihad, fearing potential fragmentation of its branches, especially in Africa. Moreover, the group intensified its competition with other extremist factions.

1. In its strategic approach, ISIS was particularly focused on using the Gaza War as a means to strengthen its dynamic foundations, essential for its global expansion plan. This plan hinges on persuading supporters and sympathizers that defeating the West will occur through the overthrow of governments in Arab and Islamic countries, aligning with what is referred to as strategies targeting both the near and distant enemies. Furthermore, ISIS capitalized on the events following the Al-Aqsa uprising to undermine the methods employed by other extremist groups and to boost recruitment within its ranks.

2. Undermining Governance Systems in Arab Countries: The organization targeted the emergency Arab Islamic summit convened on November 11th in Riyadh, questioning its effectiveness. This aligns with its broader strategy of fomenting disruptions in these countries and eroding the stability of their systems. In the opening article of issue 417 of the “Al-Naba” newspaper, the organization sought to disseminate its messages concerning the summit. It asserted that Israel’s neighboring countries obstructed the delivery of aid sent by Muslims to the people of Gaza, accusing them of collusion with Tel Aviv. This allegation is a recurring claim employed by entities critical of Egypt, in particular, to sow doubt about its role in providing aid to the region and to distort the reality of the crisis.

3. Critique of Nationalism: The organization condemned the evasion of Arab elites around the concept of nationalism, deeming it a contributing factor to Israel’s presence in the region. Furthermore, it views nationalism as a catalyst that prompts Arab regimes to enter into international cooperation agreements contrary to Islamic principles. ISIS’s reliance on this variable is rooted in its strategy to cast doubt on the increasing shift from global jihad to local jihad, mirroring the Taliban’s model, which has become an influential example for terrorist movements. ISIS is apprehensive about the potential extension of its influence to its branches.

4. Addressing Media Messages on the West’s Power: ISIS argues that the West employs its media tools to create a deceptive perception of strength for its armies and systems, intending to instill fear in its adversaries. The organization underscores its use of modern psychological and military methods to counteract the impact of these messages on its members.

5. Targeting Iran and its Armed Factions: The organization directed its attacks towards Iran and its factions in the Middle East, considering the Shiite nature of the ruling regime in Tehran as a deviation from true religion. ISIS employed this criticism to achieve two indirect objectives:

Firstly, to undermine al-Qaeda, which relies on Tehran for the protection of its elements, particularly Saif al-Adl, expected to succeed Ayman al-Zawahiri in leading the organization. This same reason is cited as a major factor in delaying the appointment of al-Qaeda’s leader, fearing internal divisions that could harm the competition between the two organizations.

Secondly, to diminish the significance of the increasing activity of Iran-affiliated armed factions against American targets in the region. Since its inception, ISIS has depended on the frequency and brutality of its attacks to establish itself as the most impactful group. Consequently, it aims to solidify this perception among its sympathizers while undermining any attempts to diminish its current role compared to other factions that may appear more threatening to external enemies.

6. Impact of ISIS’s Rule in the Levant on the Gaza War: The organization asserted that if it currently held governance in the Levant and wasn’t weakened by international coalition forces, it would play a significant role in supporting Gaza. It used this claim to advance the idea that the West, along with its allies and collaborating governments, is actively combating the organization to weaken Muslim supporters in Palestine. Furthermore, ISIS propagated that its regional authority would prevent existing divisions and unite everyone under its banner.

7. Undermining the Jurisprudential Foundations of the Taliban: ISIS leveraged criticism of international bodies, notably the United Nations, to cast doubt on the true beliefs of the Taliban’s leaders, who aim to join the United Nations—an organization they argue does not uphold justice for Muslims. The organization also highlighted that the Taliban’s pursuit of joining the United Nations has led to wavering in its international relations, sometimes aligning with Washington and European countries and other times with competitors such as Russia, China, and Iran. This discourse serves the purpose of competing with the movement in Afghanistan and also undermines the trend of local jihad, casting doubt on its religious approach.

8. Accusing the Muslim Brotherhood of Aligning with Turkey and Violating Sharia: This accusation holds significant weight at the current time. Salafist groups have emerged as a phased development of the Brotherhood’s ideology, as highlighted in al-Zawahiri’s writings about Sayyid Qutb and the role of his ideas in this approach. Therefore, ISIS aims to present itself as a unified organization on the religious stage, aligning with its own ideas.

Criticizing the Muslim Brotherhood also has implications regarding the organization’s perspective on the Hamas movement, which operated for years as an acknowledged part of the Muslim Brotherhood before its dissociation in 2017. This reaffirms that ISIS exploits the ongoing conflict to serve its agenda and positions itself as the primary organization embracing its ideas and recruiting members. However, if this call influences internal dynamics, it poses a threat to the Palestinian cause and the future of sympathy towards it. Israel may benefit from this to further manipulate perceptions.

9. Urging “Lone Wolves” to Target Western Countries: The organization conveyed messages encouraging sympathizers to carry out attacks against Jewish gathering places and to threaten the economy. This suggests that ISIS aims to motivate individuals to target brands associated with Israel and the United States.

Implications of the Discourse

Recent messages from ISIS, seeking to exploit the Gaza War, are based on three fundamental implications that highlight its concerns and objectives simultaneously, with the most prominent being:

1. Creating Disruptions within Arab Countries: The organization employs an emotional discourse surrounding the crisis to criticize the governing systems in the region and sow doubt about them. This aims to influence the intellectual middle and lower classes, crucial pillars for either connecting with its ranks or garnering sympathy. However, this strategy harms the Middle East, intensifies tension hotspots that undermine security, and adds to the economic cost of counterterrorism efforts.

2. Escalating Competition with Extremist Movements: ISIS uses the war as a platform to criticize its adversaries, highlighting the perceived weaknesses in their beliefs and operational approaches. This serves to bolster its internal elements and increase affiliations, as a growing membership stands as a point of strength against other rival groups.

3. Fear of the Growth of Local Jihadist Ideology at the Expense of Global Jihad: This concern has become apparent in recent messages from ISIS. In discussions about Muslim unity, the organization has emphasized images of its African members, indicating its apprehension about the potential fragmentation of these branches and their impact, drawing on the experience of the Taliban as a reference point.

Factor of Opportunities

In conclusion, it can be stated that ISIS targets individuals with weak political views through emotional and religious messages to execute its plan. It exploits the Gaza War without concern for the fact that these claims are politically utilized in Israel. Attacking Arab countries will exacerbate their crises to the benefit of adversaries. The organization’s primary goal remains preserving its opportunities amid other groups and defending global jihad, fearing the loss of its branches, especially in Africa.