The operational capabilities of these groups, which follow the puritanical Salafist strain of Sunni Islam, remain rather murky. But the last thing Israel wants is jihadist groups active on its southern border.

Hamas is faced with eroding popular support following Israel's 22-day invasion in which some 1,200 Gazans, mostly civilians, perished.

These groups are reported to have a combined strength of some 2,000 fighters. Many of them are said to be former members of Fatah, the mainstream Palestinian movement that was driven out of Gaza by Hamas in June 2007.

The extent of the Salafist infiltration became evident Aug. 15, when Hamas sent its elite security unit, the Executive Force, against an organization called Jund al-Ansar Allah, or Warriors of God, in the south Gaza town of Rafah after its leader proclaimed an Islamic emirate there.

The leader, a fiery preacher named Abdul Latif Abu Moussa, was killed along with 20 followers in a fierce gun battle around Rafah's Ibn Taymiyah mosque.

But the group survived and has sought to gather other smaller groups under its banner. In September it claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on Hamas forces.

According to Abdel-Karim Rajab, a Fatah intelligence chief in the West Bank, there are three other main Salafist factions in Gaza -- Jaljalat, or Thunder; Jaish al-Islam, or Army of Islam; and Jaish al-Ummah, or Army of the Nation.

Jaljalat is believed to have 500 members. It claims it tried to assassinate former U.S. President Jimmy Carter when he visited Gaza in June and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair some time earlier.

In early October Hamas forces arrested its reputed commander, Mahmoud Taleb. Fatah sources say Jaljalat fighters have been trained by Iran's Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Jaish al-Islam is largely based around the powerful Doghmush clan, one of the largest in the Gaza Strip.

It gained notoriety when it kidnapped BBC journalist Alan Johnston in March 2007, triggering clashes with Hamas that saw the group's actions as a challenge.

Many question the group's Salafist credentials. Its leader, Mumtaz Doghmush, and other clan members are widely reported to be heavily involved in smuggling, racketeering and other crimes.

Jaish al-Ummah does not appear to have been particularly active since September 2008, when it claimed its leader, Abu Hafs al-Maqdisi, was arrested by Hamas.

In the main, these groups bitterly oppose Hamas' growing links with Iran. Tehran provides funds and weapons for Hamas to fight Israel, just as it does for Hezbollah.

The Sunni monarchies in the Gulf are also supporting the Salafists, whom they despise, because they despise Hamas more.

There have been reports that non-Palestinian Arabs have moved into Gaza to stiffen the Salafist groups. Israeli sources report that Gulf support increased sharply in 2008 after Hamas rejected Saudi demands it sever all ties with Iran.

According to several sources, some of the Salafist groups also receive discreet support in the West Bank from Fatah, which wants to bring down Hamas rule in Gaza and reunite the two Palestinian territories under its control.

In this regard, one name keeps cropping up: Mohammed Dahlan, a Fatah loyalist who once was Yasser Arafat's security chief in Gaza.

He led a bloody crackdown against Hamas several years ago but was forced to flee when Hamas drove out Fatah in 2007. Now based in the West Bank, Dahlan remains a marked man for Hamas.

A few weeks ago the secular former Gaza strongman staged a political comeback and was elected to Fatah's central committee along with other key activists from Fatah's younger generation.

That positions him to make a bid for leadership of the party and the presidency of the Palestinian Authority. One of his primary political objectives is to bring down the Hamas regime and regain influence in Gaza, where he was born.

The word is that he's prepared to go to any lengths to do so, even if it means aiding Salafist groups with whom he's ideologically opposed.

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