Nili (unit)
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{{short description|Israeli military task force}}
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Nili ({{langx|he|נִילי}}) is a task force established by Israel's Shin Bet and Mossad units in late 2023 to track and assassinate the members of Palestinian militant group Hamas, who organized and carried out the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed more than 1,200 Israelis, the majority civilians.{{cite news |title='Nili': Is a secret Israeli unit hunting Hamas militants behind the October 7 attack? |url=https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20231029-israel-mobilises-nili-unit-hunt-eliminate-behind-hamas-october-7-attack |access-date=6 December 2023 |work=France24 |date=2023-10-29}}{{Cite web |date=21 October 2023 |title=Police: 74% of civilians killed October 7 identified |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/police-74-of-civilians-killed-october-7-identified/ |access-date=8 December 2023 |website=The Times of Israel}}
Nili is an acronym for "Netzah Yisrael Lo Yeshaker," (Hebrew: נצח ישראל לא ישקר) a Biblical phrase from the First Book of Samuel ({{bibleverse|1 Samuel|15:29}}) that translates to "the Eternal One of Israel will not lie".{{Cite web |date=22 October 2023 |title=Israel said to form unit tasked with killing Hamas commandos behind Oct. 7 assault |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-said-to-form-unit-tasked-with-killing-hamas-commandos-behind-oct-7-assault/ |access-date=8 December 2023 |website=The Times of Israel}}
Organization and goals
The unit's ambitions are similar to Mossad assassinations following the Munich massacre, which tracked down and assassinated the Palestinian militant group, Black September, who organized and carried out the 1972 Munich massacre killing Israeli athletes.
The unit consists of representatives from both the Shin Bet and Mossad. Kidon operatives have been speculated to also participate in Nili. Whilst Nili's focus is primarily on Hamas's commando Nukhba unit, according to Ahron Bregman of King's College London, Mossad's involvement means that Nili will also go after Hamas members located outside of Gaza. According to a leaked recording, Ronen Bar the head of Shin Bet, told Israeli parliamentarians that Hamas leaders would be killed "in Gaza, in the West Bank, in Lebanon, in Turkey, in Qatar, everywhere...It will take a few years, but we will be there in order to do it."{{Cite news |last=Burke |first=Jason |date=2023-12-23 |title=Israeli campaign to kill Hamas leaders likely to backfire, say earlier assassination targets |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/23/israeli-campaign-to-kill-hamas-leaders-likely-to-backfire-say-earlier-assassination-targets |access-date=2023-12-26 |issn=0261-3077}}
The organization operates independently of other units, focusing on tracking Hamas strike cells and high-ranking Hamas officials. The personnel include both intelligence and operational staff.{{cite news |last1=Bohbot |first1=Amir |title=New Israeli unit has one goal: Kill all terrorists involved in massacre |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-769555 |access-date=6 December 2023 |work=Jerusalem Post |date=2023-10-22}}
The top targets for the unit include Marwan Issa{{cite news |last1=Daou |first1=Marc |title=Most wanted: The Hamas leaders on Israel's radar |url=https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20231103-most-wanted-the-hamas-leaders-on-israel-s-radar |access-date=6 December 2023 |work=France24 |date=2023-11-03}} and Yahya Sinwar, who are suspected of orchestrating the 7 October 2023 attacks.
Criticism
Journalist and author on Israeli security services, Yossi Melman, criticized the campaign stating that the strategy of assassinations “doesn’t solve anything" and is an attempt by Israeli security services to redeem themselves after being humiliated by the success of Hamas attacks.
According to the Guardian, others have suggested that repeated claims by public figures about Nili illustrate a desire amongst Israeli officials to reassure a fearful public.
See also
- Targeted killing by Israel
- Nili, a Jewish espionage group in Palestine with the same name