The Doghmush (Arabic: دغمش) (pronounced "Doe-moosh" or "Durmush", see spelling) are a Palestinian family from the Gaza Strip. They became known mostly due to calling themselves the Jaysh al-Islām (Army of Islam), and being behind the kidnapping and holding of the British journalist Alan Johnston for four months in 2007. The family has reportedly been involved in extortion, smuggling, arms dealing, and the ruthless dispatch of rivals, and has been dubbed " The Sopranos of Gaza City".[1] They are linked to the British based Palestinian-Jordanian extremist Abu Qatada.
The family originally came to Gaza[2] from Turkey in the early 20th century and as a result their name is also spelled using current Turkish orthography as Doğmuş[3], pronounced "Doe-moosh", which means "born" using the inferential or dubitative past tense. Other possible spellings are Dogmosh, Dugmash, Dagmoush, Dughmush, Dogmush, Durmush and Dormush.