PA lie: Israel “assassinated 3 young people driving in their car,” Reality: Terror cell brags “3 Jihad fighters fell in battle”
- PA’s 3 innocent “Martyrs” were terror cell’s “Jihad fighters,” and “the best of [our] members and fighters, heroes of a series of revenge operations (i.e., terror attacks)”
- Terror cell threatens Israel in message to “the Zionist enemy”:
“The Lion’s Den is seeking you everywhere and at all times… You will find our lions under the rocks and behind the trees… the series of revenge operations continues, and you currently have nothing to do but prepare for a new wave of operations”
Last week, 3 “commanders” who were part of “a fighting squad” of the independent terror cell the Lion’s Den from Nablus were killed while attacking Israeli soldiers.
In the PA narrative, they were described as 3 innocent young “Martyrs” who were “shot at” and “assassinated” by Israeli forces while “driving in their car.” According to the PA “eyewitnesses reported that the occupation authorities hurried to hide the traces of their new crime… and confiscated the security cameras at the site to hide the traces of the crime and the way it was committed.” [Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 13, 2023]
However, in a press release the Lion’s Den explained in detail that the three “heroes” died “in confrontation” while trying to ambush Israeli soldiers:
“O masses of our heroic people, following a precise monitoring of the Zionist Golani unit at the occupation’s Sarra checkpoint, one of our fighting squads set out to lay an ambushfor this unit and confront it. After it became clear that the soldiers of this unit were laying an ambush for the fighters of our squad, the squad’s heroes decided to sneak in to bring down the soldiers of this unit in a larger ambush. As Supreme Allah would have it a confrontation broke out from point blank range before our fighters deployed in the area, and they ascended to Heaven as Martyrs while advancing forward and not retreating…”
[Ma’an, independent Palestinian news agency, March 12, 2023]
And so that there would be no doubt who the three “Jihad fighters” were, the Lion’s Den mentioned the terrorists by name:
“Today ‘the Lion’s Den’ squads accompany to Heaven the best of their members and fighters, heroes of a series of revenge operations (i.e., terror attacks), and the best of the sons of Nablus:
Jihad fighter Martyr who fell in battle Jihad Al-Shami
Jihad fighter Martyr who fell in battle Uday Al-Shami
Jihad fighter Martyr who fell in battle Muhammad Al-Dabeek…”
Moreover, the terror cell threatened Israel with more terror, addressing “the Zionist enemy”:
“Our message to the Zionist enemy: …
We reemphasize to you that the Lion’s Den is seeking you everywhere and at all times. You will find us in the utter darkness and in the light of day. You will find our lions under the rocks and behind the trees. We will burst forth at you from the rocks and we will land on you from the skies… the series of revenge operations continues, and you currently have nothing to do but prepare for a new wave of operations, which our lone wolves will sign off on.”
[Ma’an, independent Palestinian news agency, March 12, 2023]
Palestinian Media Watch has exposed the popularity of the members of the Lion’s Den terror cell. In fact, Palestinian children wear necklaces with pictures of the terrorists who die “as Martyrs” in confrontations with Israel.
Despite the Lion’s Den’s blatant public bragging about its terrorists who died as “heroes” while “confronting” Israeli soldiers, and the cell’s plans for future terror attacks, PA PM Shtayyeh stayed true to the PA narrative and “condemned the crime that the occupation committed in Nablus… in which 3 young people died as a Martyrs.” Shtayyeh also “prayed to lauded Allah that He will wrap them in His great mercies and have them dwell in the expanses of Paradise.” [Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 13, 2023]
Chairman of the Palestinian National Council (i.e., the legislative body of the PLO) Rawhi Fattouh accused Israel of deliberately “murder[ing] civilians in cold blood, while using false excuses and empty claims to justify the daily crimes of summary executions.” [Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 13, 2023]
The following are longer excerpts of the statement cited above:
Headline: “‘The Lion’s Den’ reveals details about the deaths as Martyrs of three of its commanders”
“The armed group ‘the Lion’s Den’ (i.e., independent terror cell) in Nablus issued a press release today, Sunday [March 12, 2023], in which it revealed what happened early this morning between its fighters and the Israeli occupation army’s Golani unit (sic., Golani Brigade) at Sarra checkpoint in the city (refers to 3 terrorists who shot at Israeli soldiers, who returned fire and killed them -Ed.)…
(The following is an excerpt of the press release from “the Lion’s Den” -Ed.)
Praise Allah for the favor of Jihad and resistance. Praise Allah Who honored us with courage and daring. Praise Allah Who let us fight for Him and preferred us over many of His creations, for Allah said:
In the name of All Merciful Allah, ‘But Allah has preferred the mujahideen (i.e., Jihad fighters) over those who remain [behind] with a great reward’ [Quran 4:95, Sahih International translation].
Allah spoke truth.
O masses of our heroic people, following a precise monitoring of the Zionist Golani unit at the occupation’s Sarra checkpoint, one of our fighting squads set out to lay an ambush for this unit and confront it. After it became clear that the soldiers of this unit were laying an ambush for the fighters of our squad, the squad’s heroes decided to sneak in to bring down the soldiers of this unit in a larger ambush. As Supreme Allah would have it a confrontation broke out from point blank range before our fighters deployed in the area, and they ascended to Heaven as Martyrs while advancing forward and not retreating…
Today ‘the Lion’s Den’ squads accompany to Heaven the best of their members and fighters, heroes of a series of revenge operations (i.e., terror attacks), and the best of the sons of Nablus:
Jihad fighter Martyr who fell in battle Jihad Al-Shami
Jihad fighter Martyr who fell in battle Uday Al-Shami
Jihad fighter Martyr who fell in battle Muhammad Al-Dabeek…
Our message to you, members of our people:
Do not cry and do not be sad. This is our fate, and by Allah, we live among you as Martyrs waiting to meet Allah at any moment. The blood that flowed from Nablus to Jenin and in every inch of Palestine will only increase our determination to continue on the path of victory and liberation. Do not worry, as the soldiers of the [Lion’s] Den are many, and only Allah knows them. If one knight falls from his horse, 100 knights will replace him…
Our message to the Zionist enemy:
The achievement that you pretended to record in assassinating our fighters is nothing but an additional message for you: We reemphasize to you that the Lion’s Den is seeking you everywhere and at all times. You will find us in the utter darkness and in the light of day. You will find our lions under the rocks and behind the trees. We will burst forth at you from the rocks and we will land on you from the skies…
You are always mistaken in your estimations. The Lion’s Den is undefeated, and disasters in this world do not destabilize it. Therefore, the series of revenge operations continues, and you currently have nothing to do but prepare for a new wave of operations, which our lone wolves will sign off on.”
[Ma’an, independent Palestinian news agency, March 12, 2023]
The Lion's Den - an independent Palestinian terror cell largely based in Nablus. It has not stated an official affiliation and its members come from a variety of terror organizations, including Fatah's military wing the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad. The Lion's Den was responsible for numerous shooting attacks mainly in the West Bank beginning in 2022, with an uptick in shootings during September-October 2022. Two of the main founders of the cell were Fatah terrorists Muhammad Al-Azizi and Ibrahim Al-Nabulsi, both killed in shootouts with Israeli forces on July 24, 2022 and Aug. 9, 2022 respectively.
Muhammad Raed Naji Al-Dabeek, Uday Othman Rafiq Al-Shami, and Jihad Muhammad Wasfi Al-Shami – Palestinian terrorists and members of the independent terror cell “the Lion’s Den” aged 18, 22, and 24 respectively, who shot at an Israeli military post near Nablus on March 12, 2023. Israeli soldiers stationed at the post returned fire, killing the 3 terrorists. After the three terrorists were killed, the Lion’s Den issued a press release praising them as “Jihad fighters,” “the best of their members,” and “heroes of a series of revenge operations” (i.e., terror attacks).
“The [PA] Ministry of Health confirmed… that Jihad Muhammad Wasfi Al-Shami, 24, Uday Othman Rafiq Al-Shami, 22, and Muhammad Raed Naji Al-Dabeek, 18 (i.e., terrorists, shot at Israeli soldiers), died as Martyrs after the occupation forces shot at the car they were driving in next to Sarra military checkpoint, southwest of Nablus (sic., the terrorists opened fire on an Israeli military post, at which the soldiers returned fire). The fourth young person, Ibrahim Awratani, was arrested.
Eyewitnesses told [the official PA daily] Al-Hayat Al-Jadida that the occupation’s forces infiltrated the outskirts of Nablus at 3:30 a.m., and its members opened fire on a Palestinian car in which four young people were driving (sic.).
The eyewitnesses reported that the occupation authorities hurried to hide the traces of their new crime, as many soldiers raided the stores and buildings adjacent to the scene of the crime and confiscated the security cameras that were at the site, in order to hide the traces of the crime and the way it was committed.
In Jenin child Walid Saad Daoud Nassar (i.e., terrorist, participated in a gun battle with Israeli soldiers initiated by terrorist murderer Abd Al-Fattah Kharousha), 14, who was shot and critically wounded by the Israeli occupation forces during their invasion of Jenin and its [Jenin] refugee camp on Tuesday [March 7, 2023], died as a Martyr.”
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 13, 2023]
Walid Nassar – 14-year-old Palestinian terrorist who participated in a gun battle initiated by terrorists in Jenin on March 7, 2023, when Israeli soldiers attempted to arrest terrorist Abd Al-Fattah Kharousha, who murdered 2 Israeli brothers. Nassar, Kharousha, and 5 other terrorists died in the gun battle. After his death, Nassar's mother explained that "for a long time he desired to die as a Martyr," and that he had told her: "There is something more important than high school matriculation, let me die as a Martyr."
Headline: “Unanimous condemnations of the occupation’s crime of assassinating 3 young people in Nablus”
“[PA] Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh said that the continuation of the occupation’s shocking crimes is a natural result of the fact that it is not required to give an accounting, and the fact that the criminals feel that they can evade punishment.
In a statement he issued yesterday evening, Sunday [March 12, 2023], the prime minister condemned the crime that the occupation committed in Nablus in the early morning, in which 3 young people died as a Martyrs (refers to 3 terrorists who shot at Israeli soldiers -Ed.).
Shtayyeh conveyed warm and sincere condolences to the Martyrs’ families. He prayed to lauded Allah that He will wrap them in His great mercies and have them dwell in the expanses of Paradise. He wished a speedy recovery to the wounded.
Chairman of the Palestinian National Council (i.e., the legislative body of the PLO) Rawhi Fattouh held the fascist occupation government responsible for the crime. In a statement yesterday, Fattouh said that the occupation is placing the checkpoints of death at the entrances to the Palestinian towns in order to murder civilians in cold blood, while using false excuses and empty claims to justify the daily crimes of summary executions.”
[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, March 13, 2023]
Rawhi Fattouh also serves as Fatah Commissioner of International Relations and Fatah Central Committee member.