Lion's Den

The Lions' Den is a Palestinian militant group operating in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The group emerged in August 2022, a year of increased violence in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and takes its moniker from Ibrahim al-Nablusi, a prominent militant from Nablus, nicknamed The Lion of Nablus, who was killed in an Israeli raid. It comprises members of other Palestinian militant organizations, traditionally opposed by Fatah, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and disaffected members of Fatah, mainly young and secular. The group is reportedly based in the Old City of Nablus. The organization was founded by a 25-year-old Palestinian named Mohammed al-Azizi, more commonly known as "Abu Saleh", and his friend Abdel Rahman Suboh, or "Abu Adam", 28 years old. They were both killed in fighting in July 2022. The group has experienced a rise in popularity among Palestinians in the West Bank, regularly sharing videos of their attacks on social media. The New York Times reported in 2023 that the popularity of the group among some young Palestinians reflects the growing support of armed resistance against the 56-year old Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, including frustrations with the expansion of Israeli settlements, Israeli settler violence, and ineffective governance by the Palestinian Authority. Background 2022 was the deadliest year in the West Bank for Palestinians since 2015, mostly focused on Nablus and Jenin. There has been a notable rise in violence by extremist Jewish settlers. Following the killing of an Israeli soldier on 11 October 2022, for which the Lions' Den claimed responsibility, Nablus is under a tight siege which Palestinians protest as collective punishment.