Nukhba (Arabic: نخبة, lit. 'elite'), Nukhba Force or Al-Nukhba are naval commandos[1] in a special forces unit of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas.[2] Israel claims the unit led the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 at the beginning of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.[3]
According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), "[t]he Nukhba elite forces consist of terrorists selected by senior Hamas operatives, designated to carry out terrorist attacks such as ambushes, raids, assaults, infiltration through terror tunnels, as well as anti-tank missile, rocket, and sniper fire."[4][5]
Their main focus is to attack on or underwater, and to infiltrate Israel via its beaches, using underwater explosives and guided missiles which are unaffected by the Iron Dome air defense system.[6][7] Targets include Israeli infrastructure at sea, military and civilian vessels[8] and power stations.[7]
Training
Nukhba members begin their long and rigorous land and sea-based training when they are 18 to 20 years old, and may be recruited from fishermen. The starting salary of US$400–500 a month is over five times the average salary in the Gaza Strip.[8]
Organization
The Nukhba are distributed geographically across the Gaza Strip.[6]
While the unit is secretive, they use social media for propaganda, such as posting videos on the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades' Telegram channel.[9]
History
Hamas formed its naval unit in about 2010 after the Gaza War (2008–2009) to strengthen its efforts against Israel and help smuggle weapons into Gaza by sea. In July 2014, four divers emerged from the sea on Zikim Beach armed with grenades and automatic weapons to mount an attack on a tank, but were killed by the IDF.[8][7]
Their units sustained losses in the 2014 Gaza War.[10] In 2015, they were being trained and equipped in Iran.[11] In 2017, some of its members left to join Islamic State in the Sinai Peninsula.[2][12] In October 2017, Nukhba commandos were amongst the 14 terrorists killed when one of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's tunnels collapsed.[8] By 2018, the underwater commando unit had around 1,500 members.[13] In January 2022, Nukhba divers claimed they had been attacked by a military dolphin which Israel was using to counter their operations.[14][9]
2023 Israel–Hamas war
On October 7, Hamas forces launched an indiscriminate attack on Israeli civilians, killing more than 1,300 men, women and children.[15][16]
According to Israel's security service Shin Bet, captured Nukhba members were ordered to kill everyone they saw and carry out atrocities against civilians including women and children. If they brought hostages back to Gaza they would be richly rewarded.[17] In a video recording of interviews with captured Nukhba, they described how they set fire to houses and threw grenades. One of the men killed had been watering his plants before the terrorists surprised him. The prisoners of war identified themselves as Muslim and admitted that the murders were contrary to Islam.[18]
In the Battle of Zikim, naval commandos landed boats on Zikim Beach and stormed the Bahad 4 military base.[19]
Aftermath
In the aftermath, IDF warplanes have been specifically targeting Nukhba, with the intention of killing them all.[20] Shin Bet set up a new unit called Nili – an abbreviation of the Hebrew phrase Netzach Yisrael Lo Yeshaker (transl. The Eternity of Israel Will Not Lie) – tasked with hunting down Nukhba members.[21]
On October 14, the IDF announced that they had killed Ali Qadhi, a Nukhba company commander, in a drone attack.[22] In 2005, Israel had arrested him for kidnapping and murdering civilians, but he was released in 2011 as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange.[23][24] Bilal al Qadr, a commander of the Nukhba forces' southern Khan Yunis unit that carried out the Kfar Aza massacre, was killed by an Israeli Air Force air strike.[25] According to the IDF, both men had played key roles in the October 7 attack.[26] On October 17, Hamas' fourth most senior commander Ayman Nofal who had responsbility for the Nukhba and the Be'eri and Re'im music festival massacres was killed in an airstrike.[27]
Following the attack, Nukhba members Amer Abu Awash and Hassan Zaarab were detained and interrogated by Israeli authorities. During the interrogation, according to the IDF, Abu Awash revealed that Hamas has been using medical facilities in the Gaza Strip, especially the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, to shield themselves from Israeli strikes and that the underground levels of the hospital are utilized for hiding resources like weapons and ammunition. Hamas denied these claims.[28]
On October 31, the IDF announced that its fighter jets had killed Ibrahim Biari, who it claimed was commander of Hamas' Central Jabaliya Battalion and "was one of the leaders responsible for sending Nukbha terrorist operatives to Israel".[29]
See also
- Redwan Force
- Shayetet 13, Israeli Navy special forces unit
- Syrian Elite Forces
References
- ^ Nakhoul, Samia (October 13, 2023). "How Hamas secretly built a 'mini-army' to fight Israel". Reuters. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
- ^ a b Rothwell, James (October 12, 2023). "Israel sets its sights on destroying Nukhba, the mysterious Hamas commando squad". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ Cook, Ellie (October 12, 2023). "'Elite' Hamas Unit Behind Saturday Massacre Targeted in Israel Air Strikes". Newsweek. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ "IDF strikes at elite Hamas force". Israel National News. October 12, 2023. Archived from the original on October 12, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ "The IDF Targeted the Hamas' Nukhba Elite Forces". Israel Defense Forces (Press release). October 12, 2023. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
- ^ a b "Israel's increasing concern about Hamas' growing naval capabilities". Dr. Adnan Abu Amer. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ a b c Bilefsky, Dan (May 17, 2021). "Israel is targeting Hamas naval forces. So what can Hamas do by sea?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 15, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Siryoti, Daniel (July 13, 2020). "Formidable Hamas unit cleans house in wake of high-level defection". Israel Hayom. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ a b Hamas Video: Israel Uses Dolphins to Hunt Down and Kill Our Naval Commandos. Middle East Media Research Institute. January 12, 2022. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ "इजरायल में खूनी तांडव मचाने वाली हमास की सबसे खतरनाक विंग 'नुखबा फोर्स', हाईटेक हथियारों से लैस" ['Nukhba Force', the most dangerous wing of Hamas which created bloody havoc in Israel, is equipped with high-tech weapons]. Prabhasakshi (in Hindi). October 13, 2023. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ Issacharoff, Avi (August 21, 2015). "Sending naval commandos to Iran via Sinai, Hamas pushed Egypt too far". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
- ^ Issacharoff, Avi (February 7, 2017). "Elite Hamas fighters defecting to Islamic State". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ Ahronheim, Anna (February 5, 2018). "Israeli Navy on high alert over upgraded Hamas underwater terror threat". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
- ^ "Killer Zionist dolphins? Hamas claims they exist". The Jerusalem Post. January 11, 2022. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
- ^ "Israeli death toll from Hamas shock onslaught reaches 1,300". The Times of Israel. October 12, 2023. Archived from the original on October 12, 2023. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
- ^ Sheils McNamee, Michael (October 11, 2023). "Children among 17 Britons dead or missing in Israel". BBC News. Archived from the original on October 12, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
- ^ "Kill, behead, rape: Interrogated Hamas members detail atrocities against civilians". Times of Israel. October 24, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
- ^ ISA interrogates Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023 attack. The Manila Times. October 24, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ "This is How Al-Qassam's Navel Units Stormed Zakim's Fortified Military Base – VIDEO". The Palestine Chronicle. October 9, 2023. Archived from the original on October 9, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
- ^ Wong, Edward; Yazbek, Hiba (October 13, 2023). "Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza Worsens as Israel Prepares a Possible Invasion". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ Bohbot, Amir (October 22, 2023). "New Israeli unit has one goal: Kill all terrorists involved in massacre". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
- ^ "IDF and ISA Forces Target a Hamas "Nukhba" Commando Forces Commander Who Led the Terrorist Attack Against Israeli Communities Near Gaza". Israel Defense Forces (Press release). October 14, 2023. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
- ^ Irwin, Lauren (October 14, 2023). "Israel claims Hamas commanders that helped coordinate surprise attack have been killed". The Hill. Archived from the original on October 15, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- ^ Zitun, Yoav (October 14, 2023). "Who is the Hamas massacre commander killed by Israel?". Ynet. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- ^ "IDF and ISA Forces Neutralize Nukhba Commander Responsible for the Kibbutz Nirim Massacre". Israel Defense Forces (Press release). October 15, 2023. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
- ^ Nath, Sanstuti (October 15, 2023). "Israel-Palestine War: Top Hamas Man Behind Infiltration Attack Killed | Israeli Military Shares Video". News18. Archived from the original on October 15, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
- ^ Rapaport, Amir (October 20, 2013). "Israel at War – End of Week 2: Eliminating Hamas' Nukhba Terrorists and Preparing for a Ground Operation". israeldefense.co.il. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
- ^ Zitun, Yoav (October 28, 2023). "Detained terrorists admit Hamas using hospitals to shield themselves". Ynetnews. Ynet News. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ "IDF & ISA Kill Commander of Hamas' Central Jabaliya Battalion, one of the leaders october 7th Massacre". Israel Defense Forces (Press release). October 31, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
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This page was last edited on 13 November 2023, at 00:01