Palestinian protesters hurl stones at Israeli soldiers during clashes in the West Bank city of Hebron, on Oct. 25, 2022. (Photo by Mamoun Wazwaz/Xinhua)
With a small number of militants, the Lions' Den, a newly formed Palestinian armed group, has earned unprecedented popularity among young Palestinians amid the intensifying Israeli violence in the West Bank, Palestinian analysts said.
Based in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, the loosely-organized armed group of about 50 militants has been fighting against Israeli forces in recent months and claimed responsibility for several deadly shooting attacks on Israeli soldiers.
by Sanaa Kamal
RAMALLAH, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- With a small number of militants, the Lions' Den, a newly formed Palestinian armed group, has earned unprecedented popularity among young Palestinians amid the intensifying Israeli violence in the West Bank, Palestinian analysts said.
Based in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, the loosely-organized armed group of about 50 militants has been fighting against Israeli forces in recent months and claimed responsibility for several deadly shooting attacks on Israeli soldiers.
The group's latest deadly attack on Oct. 11 killed one Israeli soldier, and drew retaliation from the Israeli army, which launched a large-scale military operation in Nablus, killing five of the Lions' Den's militants.
"Lions' Den group has succeeded to make a breakthrough in the local community who are angry with the intensifying Israeli operations on the ground," Hani al-Masri, director of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Center for Policy Research and Strategic Studies (Masarat) told Xinhua.
Mourners carry the body of a Palestinian doctor killed by Israeli soldiers during his funeral in the West Bank city of Jenin, Oct. 14, 2022. (Photo by Ayman Nobani/Xinhua)
What's more, the absence of the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority in the fight against Israeli operations also led some young people, mostly in their 20s and 30s, to take matters into their own hands even though they do not have enough experience, said al-Masri.
In various statements aired on their Telegram channel, Lions' Den's militants stressed that they do not belong to any Palestinian factions, stressing that their main goal "is resisting the Israeli occupation everywhere and at any time."
Recently, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid told Israel's state-owned Kan radio that Wadie Houh, a leader of the Lions' Den, had been killed in a shootout with the troops.
Ashraf al-Ajrami, a Ramallah-based political expert, said that up until now, "Israel was able, based on its intense intelligence, to reach and kill the majority of the group's militants through launching large-scale military operations and using modern technical weapons."
Israeli bulldozers demolish a Palestinian house, which is believed to have been built without permit, in Bani Naim town near the West Bank city of Hebron, Oct. 25, 2022. (Photo by Mamoun Wazwaz/Xinhua)
But the expert questioned whether Israel will still be able to do so "if the armed ideology spread among the young people in all Palestinian territories?"
Al-Ajrami told Xinhua that "Israel is currently experiencing great confusion in understanding and confronting this group ... The Palestinian factions also feel confused towards these young men, especially as they were surprised by the extent of their strength and influence in the local streets."
"We can say that these young people, who are not affiliated with any main faction, have turned into a tremendous force of influence that can move the entire Palestinian street. This is a threat to Israel," he said.
A Palestinian girl takes part in a rally on the 35th anniversary of establishing the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement in Gaza City, Oct. 6, 2022. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)■
