It is quite possible that the hostage incident by the Holy Jihad Brigades marked their entrance onto the militant scene in Gaza and the West Bank.  Since the group expressed goals of a more global nature, it is reasonable to assume that members of the Holy Jihad Brigades maintain interests in other Middle East regions.  To that end, the group could possibly seek to coordinate attacks with other like-minded groups, and eventually expand their operations beyond the Palestinian Territories.

Hotaru (firefly) was the name of a Japanese group that claimed responsibility for a March 1988 shooting incident at the Chinese Consulate in Fukuoka, Japan.  The attack was a drive-by shooting which shattered a third floor window and caused no casualties.  <P><br /><br />Several days later, previously unknown Hotaru sent out a statement to newspapers in which they claimed responsibility for the attack, and purported to be an underground right-wing organization.  The statement reportedly said that the attack was meant to "destroy the consulate," but also contained a diatribe against a Fukuoka police officer who was investigating Yakuza gangsters.  Shortly after, a second statement was released to the press in which Hotaru threatened to attack foreign diplomats in order to "shock Japan."  There were no further attacks.<P><br /><br />Hotaru was a typical Japanese right-wing organization.  By 1989, Japanese police officials estimated that there were over 800 right-wing groups operating in Japan.  Most of these organizations were very small, and had close ties to organized crime.  The attack on the consulate was most likely carried out in order to air Yakuza grievances, and had little to do with political motivations.       <br />

Hotaru has not claimed responsibility for an attack since 1988, and is unlikely to resume terrorist activity.

The People's Defense Forces (HPG) is the militant wing of the People's Congress of Kurdistan, or Kongra-Gel.  Kongra-Gel is a Kurdish separatist organization which operates in Turkey and Iraq.  Although Kongra-Gel claims that HPG is an independent and autonomous actor, the HPG's respect of Kongra-Gel announcements of ceasefires and retreats by the two groups to the same locations following such announcements indicate that HPG is subservient to Kongra-Gel. <p>Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of HPG and Kongra-Gel, announced a ceasefire in 1999 following his capture by Turkish authorities. As a result, HPG and Kongra-Gel evacuated their members from Turkey and fled to northern Iraq's Kurdish zone.  However, in June 2004 HPG announced a termination of the ceasefire as a result of what it perceived to be heightened attempts to eliminate the group in previous months.  HPG currently engages in guerilla action against the Turkish Army in order to attain certain liberties for Kurdish people within Turkey as well as to attain an independent Kurdish state.  HPG primarily targets military targets, oil pipelines, and other non-civilian areas. <p> HPG is a large organization of approximately 3,000-5,000 members that structures its leadership similarly to a conventional military force.  The Turkish military has launched numerous operations against HPG.  At the peak of fighting, the Turkish government engaged in battle with HPG fifty-seven times in June and July of 2004.  HPG claims to have killed approximately 300 Turkish soldiers since the termination of the ceasefire and approximately 100 soldiers a year in retaliatory actions before the ceasefire while recruiting about 800 new members per year.  While such claims are difficult to substantiate, it is clear that HPG is a legitimate and formidable military force.<br />