Inside the Lions’ Den: the West Bank’s Gen Z fighters

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Earlier this summer I followed a man called Abu al-Ajoud through the streets of Nablus, a Palestinian city in the West Bank. We walked in silence, occasionally ducking our heads to pass under an Ottoman arch. Eventually al-Ajoud stopped at an iron door, patted me down and led me into a dark room. Inside was a screen displaying live CCTV footage of the paths outside. We had arrived at the safe house. Ive never spoken to a journalist before, said al-Ajoud, 35, unsmiling. I may regret it. He took the bag with my camera in it and put it in another room. Al-Ajoud (not his real name) is a member of Arin al-Usoud, or the Lions Den, a Palestinian armed-resistance group based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Since it emerged last summer the Lions Den has claimed dozens of attacks, including the killing of an Israeli soldier in Jerusalem. On July 3rd Israel launched its most aggressive assault on the West Bank in over two decadesThe West Bank, governed by the Palestinian Authority (PA), had been relatively peaceful since the end of the second intifada, an uprising that lasted from 2000-05. But in the past two years violence has escalated. In the first half of this year 114 Palestinians and 16 Israelis were killed in the West Bank (in the same period last year, 57 Palestinians and two Israelis were killed). Much of the unrest has been driven by armed groups of young men, whose frustrations with the Israeli occupation and an enfeebled PA have reached breaking point. According to the Israeli army, last year there were 61 gun attacks by Palestinians on Israeli soldiers and civilians in and around Nablus, up from only three in 2020. On July 3rd Israel launched its most aggressive assault on the West Bank in over two decades, in an attempt to crush the Jenin Brigades a group of young militants based in Jenin refugee camp, an hours drive north of Nablus. Supported by drone strikes, hundreds of ground troops stormed the camp, looking for fighters, weapons and explosives. Twelve Palestinians were killed and dozens were wounded and captured. Israeli troops have now withdrawn from Jenin. Many Palestinians believe the Lions Den, and their home town of Nablus, is next on Israels hit list. Long goodbye Opening image Posters of dead Lions Den fighters adorn the streets of Nablus. From top to bottom: Relatives of Saleh Sabra, shot dead by Israeli forces during a raid in May, embrace before his funeral. The casket is carried to his family home. One of Sabras sisters waits for his coffin to arrive. A Palestinian fighter at the funeral The Lions Den came to prominence in summer 2022, after Israeli soldiers killed an 18-year-old man from the city, Ibrahim Nablusi, who was responsible for a series of drive-by shootings aimed at Israelis. There had already been deadly raids in Nablus that year in February, three Palestinian resistance fighters were shot dead. The founders of Lions Den wanted to create a group that united disaffected fighters who felt the current armed movement was too weak. The PA reckons there are around a hundred fighters in Lions Den. Like the Jenin Brigades, it doesnt seem to have a clear organisational structure, nor is it affiliated to any political party or faction. What it does have is a brand: the Lions Den is the face of Gen Z Palestinian resistance. Before it got banned by TikTok, Lions Den posted footage of fighters shooting at Israeli soldiers, buses and taxis, and videos that demonstrated how to make a pipe bomb. Its Telegram channel, which features similar content, has over 250,000 followers. We have entered a new era of resistance In Nablus, souvenir shops sell Lions Den mugs, necklaces, trinkets and flags emblazoned with the groups logo Nabluss An-Nasr mosque, garlanded by two assault rifles and an Islamic crescent and the faces of slain fighters. Memorabilia like this is generally associated with more established militant groups; that it exists already is a sign of how quickly the Lions Den has penetrated the public consciousness. In the old town, posters of young men are plastered over doors, shop windows, arches and road signs. If you listen carefully, you can hear songs praying for the souls of martyrs. Its usually only after they die that the identities of Lions Den masked fighters are revealed. Al-Ajoud was not wearing a mask when we met, but it was still hard to make out what he looks like. The visor of his black baseball cap cast a shadow over his face, which was partially covered by a black beard that goes down to his chest. We have entered a new era of resistance, al-Ajoud said as we sipped strong black coffee. Each era has its own men, its own battles. The Lions Den is a more sophisticated organisation than the Israeli government would have people believe, he said. The Israelis kill some youngsters and say that they are the leaders [of the Lions Den]. They are trying to make us look young and hopeless. But the real fighters are older, in their 20s and 30s. It is the younger, inexperienced men who are more likely to die in raids, he said. Holy war The Lions Den flag features two assault rifles and an Islamic crescent (top). Rabab al-Azizi surrounded by posters of her dead son, Muhammad, a member of the Lions Den (second from bottom) The old town of Nablus (bottom) When al-Ajoud was 14, in 2002, he and a friend were hit by a shell from an Israeli tank. Al-Ajoud survived but his friend was killed instantly. It was a formative event: Every fighter was inspired by the second intifada (uprising). At the time, Nablus was a centre of opposition. Armed and unarmed Palestinians jousted with the Israeli armys tanks, armoured personnel carriers and Apache helicopters. The Israelis imposed strict curfews and house-to-house searches. Thousands of Palestinians were arrested and many homes were destroyed. The peace that followed was an unhappy one. Memories of Israeli violence lingered, and dissatisfaction with living conditions in the occupied territories grew. Years of economic crisis have hamstrung businesses and people are finding it increasingly hard to make a living. Its also difficult to travel around the region. During Israeli incursions in Nablus, the city can be closed off for days or even weeks. Ramallah, which should be only a 50-minute drive away, can take more than three hours to reach depending on the mood of the Israeli soldiers manning the checkpoints. Lions Den TikTok videos featured fighters shooting at Israeli soldiers and guides to making pipe-bombsWere living in a prison...you have a whole generation, 25-year-olds, that have never seen the sea, al-Ajoud said. Other young Palestinians I spoke to echoed his frustrations. Since we have no sovereignty on the land, any plans might be cancelled due to the occupation, invasion or checkpoints closing, said Mawadda, a 27-year-old woman from Nablus, who works as a marketing manager. In my work I move throughout the West Bank and this means hundreds of hours at the checkpoints, full of fear and anxiety. Were it not for the Israeli armys giant red-and-white communications antennae that tower over the city, and the high-rise blocks of flats on its outskirts, Nablus would feel like the ancient Middle East. The narrow streets of the Old Town bustle with activity: vendors sell handicraft items, spices such as cardamom and traditional foods like knafeh, a sweet treat. When I pulled out my notebook and camera, people scattered. The owner of a souvenir shop stood behind my shoulder watching me take notes. It looks like Hebrew, he said suspiciously. The PA is barely visible here unless you get a parking ticket. It is widely seen as corrupt and ineffective, a mere subcontractor for Israel. Polls of Palestinians show strong support for armed groups, and confirm that faith in the two-state solution, whereby Israel and a Palestinian state co-exist peacefully side by side, has plummeted. People are fed up with the idea of peace and its sweet promises and came to the conclusion that there is no peaceful solution, one senior PA official told me. The public saw the Lions Den as a creative idea. So they followed it and supported it. Jawad, 28, said the group was a way for people to channel their anger. They are the street. They are very close to the people, thats why they represent the great majority of people. Final journey Prayers are said over Sabras body in his old mosque (second from top). Mourners sing about martyrdom and resistance as they accompany his casket (second from bottom). One of Sabras sisters outside their home before the funeral (bottom) One cafe in the Old Town is named after Abd Subah, a Lions Den member who was killed by the Israelis. On its sign is the warning: May God curse anyone who betrays us. A video posted on social media recently shows the terrified, exhausted confession of a 23-year-old fighter called Zuhair al-Ghaleeth. Exhaling deeply, he states that Israeli agents used a video of him having sex with another man as blackmail, forcing him to gather intelligence on the Lions Den leaders. Soon after his confession, Ghaleeth was gunned down on the street in Nablus and died in hospital. Ghaleeth was not given a martyrs funeral. Saleh Sabra was. In May the 22-year-old fighter was shot dead by Israeli forces during a raid in Nablus as people prepared to mark the 75th anniversary of the Nakba (catastrophe): what Arabs call the displacement of 700,000 Palestinians during the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. In the days before the raid, the Israeli army had bombed the Gaza Strip, killing 33 Palestinians and leaving hundreds homeless. Two Israelis were killed by Palestinian rockets. Were living in a prison...you have 25-year-olds that have never seen the seaSabras older sister, Sajida, clutched a basket of rose petals as she waited for his casket to arrive at their family home. Their parents embraced before Sabras mother sat down, too weak to stand. Neighbours set out chairs and passed around bottled water. News photographers for local papers climbed onto the roof for an aerial shot. The arrival of the casket was heralded by volleys of gunfire and accompanied by the chants of hundreds of young men: Oh martyr how lucky you are I wish my mother was in your shoes! Rabab al-Azizis home in Nablus is full of photographs of her son, Muhammad, a Lions Den fighter who was killed during an Israeli raid. Mounted on the wall is an unexploded rocket that the Israelis left at the scene. She took comfort in the solidarity of the community: Im proud that my son is an icon for the neighbourhood, she said. On Mothers Day the locals even baked me a cake with Muhammads face on it. In memoriam Abd Subah, a member of the Lions Den, was killed by Israeli soldiers (top). A photo album of the final days of Mohammad Hirzallah, a Lions Den fighter, belonging to his sister (second from top). The clothes Hirzallah was shot in (bottom) Al-Ajoud stressed that Lions Den was far from being some kind of death cult. We are not fighting for death, we are fighting to live, he told me. Then he added, alluding to the difficulties of life under the Israeli occupation: Perhaps it is better to die once than to die every day. The second time we met was in a cafe in the Old Town. I was drinking a coffee when I felt a heavy slap on my back. I turned around to see al-Ajouds smiling face. He invited me to smoke shisha with him. I asked him why hed been so secretive before. He told me that the cloak-and-dagger routine had been in order to check if I was being followed. We are not fighting for death, we are fighting to live We ordered two shisha pipes, then a muscular guy in his mid-30s drew up a chair, manspreading between us. Like al-Ajoud, he had an impressive beard. This is one of the leaders of the Lions Den, al-Ajoud said. I am not a leader, we all are, said the man. Anyone can be. This is to our advantage. Now what is your nickname? al-Ajoud asked his friend. Abu Jandal, replied the man. One of the earliest converts to Islam, Abu Jandal was a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and famous for battling pagans. The supposed leader of the Lions Den spoke with brevity and control, keen for his pronouncements to carry weight. Al-Ajoud hung on to his words, listening silently. We may not be the generation of liberation, said Abu Jandal. But we are the generation of sacrifice. For the next generation, the kids today. To be remembered. UPDATE: This piece has been updated to clarify the sequence of events in the fighting which took place in the Gaza Strip in May 2023. Ayman Oghanna is a freelance journalist and photographer PHOTOGRAPHS AYMAN OGHANNA