IDF stops newly-formed terror group

The IDF said it thwarted the establishment of a new terrorist organization in the West Bank. In Kalkilya, the most

central Palestinian city in the Ephraim region of the West

Bank, a new terrorist organization had been established in recent months under IDF observation. “I received an update on massive disturbances in Kalkilya,” recalled Col. Netanel Shamka, commander of the Ephraim Region Brigade. “We are doing a lot of work in the city, and since the outbreak of the war we have arrested 130 Hamas operatives, so we realized that there was an unusual event

here.” Kalkilya has approximately 70,000 residents who are primarily affiliated with Fatah. However, there is also a

Hamas presence in the area. The city does not have a refu

gee camp, however, several neighborhoods have terrorists.

As soon as the security forces in the area discovered the

emerging terrorist organization, a divisional effort began

with the cooperation of intelligence units, the Shin Bet

(Israel Security Agency), and the Border Police. The commanders created an action plan, intending to discover

who was behind the battalion, what they were planning, and how best to thwart their activities. As the Ephraim Brigade built an intelligence arsenal on the emerging organization, they decided that leader Alaa Nizal must be eliminated. “Alaa behaves like a fugitive,” recounted the brigade’s colonel. “He wears a black baseball cap, conceals

his face, sits in a café until two in the morning, and then returns home. After that, he wanders for a few hours to

cover his tracks and stays with one of the activists or in other hidden apartments.” He was captured after a seven-hour operation, and killed along with another senior figure during a chase. Immediately after, forces collected intelligence on site. • Jerusalem Post Staff