IDF soldiers dressed as Palestinians capture top terror leader who tried to escape

When initially captured, Bana tried to escape from Israeli troops who then shot him in the leg. 

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The IDF announced it has arrested Mahmoud al-Bana, a high-profile terrorist in Nablus (Shechem), Samaria, who was once the head of the Lions’ Den terrorist group.

When initially captured, Bana tried to escape from Israeli troops who then shot him in the leg.

Before the arrest, Israeli soldiers, dressed like Palestinians, drove a PA vehicle to trick Bana.

The Lions’ Den terror group was formed in 2022, separate from Hamas and Islamic Jihad. That same year, Bana surrendered to the Palestinian Authority but was later released.

Although the Lions’ Den is mainly associated with Nablus, there are branches nationwide.

“The Lions managed to escape the watchful eye of the Israeli Shin Bet and proved that both the Palestinian Authority, the Americans and the Shin Bet cannot stand up to the new spirit of resistance,” a source in Nablus told TPS.

The “Lions” receive backing from Hamas and operate under its leadership.

Many of the young commanders in this new group are Hamas members, and, as described by the source, “the brain is Hamas, and the hands are Fatah.”

The source characterized the Lion’s Den as an “enhanced version of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade – Fatah activists working under Hamas.”

“In 2000, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs operated in coordination with Hezbollah and the Revolutionary Guards and also in coordination with Hamas, but today, the situation is different and Hamas plays a much more significant role in the establishment of the armed organization,” he explained.

However, “it is not possible to reveal all the things nor the extent of the involvement of Hamas.”

The group’s members are of the generation born and raised after the armed intifada of 2000.

They include young people who have entirely despaired of the Palestinian leadership and the Fatah leadership. Still, according to the source, this is the only factor capable of uniting all parts of the Palestinian people and motivating them to action.