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Israel accuses Hamas of sponsoring 'Lion's Den' group

The loosely organized Lions' Den group says Israel is trying to discredit it through association with Hamas.
ZAIN JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images

RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinian Lion’s Den group in the West Bank city of Nablus has become a source of concern for Israel.

The group claims credit for daily armed attacks against Israeli forces. Most recently on Oct. 16, it reported that its members threw a hand grenade at Israeli soldiers near Nablus, causing several injuries. The Israel Defense Forces acknowledged the incident but said no injuries were sustained.

On Oct. 11, the group also claimed responsibility for killing an Israeli soldier in a shooting attack near Nablus. Since then, the Israeli army has been blockading the city with military checkpoints and earth mounds.

Israeli security services have accused Hamas in Turkey of sponsoring the Lion’s Den with money and armament. They claim that Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy head of Hamas' political bureau, is supervising the group’s activities. In a series of posts on its Telegram channel, the Lion’s Den denied these allegations and affirmed that its members are involved with various other groups.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported Sept. 22 that Musab Shtayyeh, a senior Hamas operative who was recently arrested by the Palestinian Authority's security forces, was a founding member of the Lion's Den and bought weapons and ammunition worth $1 million.

Video recordings of group members expressing their support for Mohammed al-Deif, the commander of Hamas’ military wing Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, are making the rounds on social media.

In an audio message recorded in August, Ibrahim al-Nabulsi, who was a prominent Lion’s Den figure before he was killed in an Israeli raid in Nablus, saluted al-Qassam Brigades' leadership, thanking it for its support for the group.

The group called for a general strike in the West Bank and Jerusalem on Oct. 12 in solidarity with the besieged Shuafat camp. Clashes erupted between Palestinians and Israeli forces, the most violent since the May 2021 unrest in Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, Israel has intensified its pressure on the PA and President Mahmoud Abbas to take action against the group, threatening a large-scale military operation in the northern West Bank if nothing is done.

Palestinian officials advised members of the group of the threat of Israeli assassination should they continue their attacks.

Israel's Kan public radio station reported that the Israeli security services are considering a military operation against the group. The idea was reportedly discussed during an Oct. 16 security meeting between Prime Minister Yair Lapid, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and other Israeli officials.

Suleiman Bisharat, director of the Yabous Center for Consulting and Strategic Studies, told Al-Monitor, “Israeli security analyses that Hamas is sponsoring the Lion’s Den group reflect Israel's failure to deal with such groups without organizational structure. Israel is manipulating divisions and stirring existential fear within the PA due to Hamas' military presence in the West Bank.”

He noted, “The group confirmed in its statements that it is not affiliated with any organization and that its members are from various organizations, including Fatah and the [PA] security services,” adding, “I believe Israel wants to destabilize the structure of this group” by tying it to Hamas.

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