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The Nukhba forces (Arabic: قوات النخبة, romanized: Quwwāt an-Nukhba), Nukhba Force[1] or just (Al-)Nukhba (Arabic: النخبة, lit. 'the elite'; Hebrew: הנוח׳בה, romanized: HaNukhba) is the special forces unit of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas.[2] The word "Nukhba" is frequently used by Israelis (in Hebrew and English) to refer to Hamas militants.[3] In 2024, the usage of the word in Israel roughly corresponds to "Hamas militant" or "Hamas commando".[4][3]
 |
| Nukhba forces | |
|---|---|
| قوات النخبة | |
| Also known as | Al-Nukhba |
| Leaders |
|
| Dates of operation | 2010 – present |
| Country |  Palestine |
| Allegiance |  Hamas |
| Headquarters | Gaza Strip |
| Active regions | Palestine Israel |
| Ideology | Palestinian self-determination Palestinian nationalism Anti-Zionism Islamism |
| Part of | Al-Qassam Brigades |
| Opponents | Israel |
| Battles and wars | |
Israel claims the unit led the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, at the beginning of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.[5]
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Nukhba members begin their long and rigorous land and sea-based training when they are 18 to 20 years old, and may be recruited from fishermen.[6]
Senior members of the Al-Qassam Brigades decided to establish a special forces unit after the 2008–2009 Gaza War.[2]
Nukhba members participated in the 2014 and 2021 conflicts with Israel, including the 2014 Zikim attack.[2]
In 2017, some of its members defected to join ISIS in the Sinai Peninsula.[7][8]
In 2020 Saudi news media reported that one of the Nukhba force's top officers had defected to Israel.[2]
Response to October 7 attacks
On October 7, Hamas forces invaded Israel.[9][10] On October 12, 2023, the Jerusalem Post reported that Shin Bet had set up a new unit called Nili – an abbreviation of the Hebrew phrase Netzach Yisrael Lo Yeshaker (transl. The Eternity of Israel Will Not Lie) – tasked with hunting down Nukhba members.[11] They reported, "This force was specifically set up to target members of a special commando unit within Hamas's military wing called Nukhba ("elite")".[11] In October 2023, an IDF spokesman said that the Israeli air force have been specifically targeting Nukhba members: "We plan to get every one of those people".[12] According to the IDF, Ayman Nofal had responsibility for the Nukhba at the Be'eri massacre and Re'im music festival massacre.[13][14] On October 17 Nofal was killed in an airstrike that destroyed four apartment buildings, killing at least 70 other people.[15][16][13][14]
Nukhba prisoners
According to Israel's security service Shin Bet, captured Nukhba members were ordered to kill everyone they saw and carry out atrocities against civilians including women and children.[17] If they brought hostages back to Gaza they would be richly rewarded.[17]
According to footage the Israeli security services released of interrogation of purportedly captured Nukhba members, Hamas has been using medical facilities in the Gaza Strip, especially the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, to shield themselves from Israeli strikes and that the underground levels of the hospital are utilized for hiding resources like weapons and ammunition. Hamas denied these claims.[18]
Israeli officials have said that Palestinian prisoners of war who were tortured and sexually assaulted were members of the Nukhba and that this justified abuse against them.[3] For example, Knesset member (KM) Hanoch Milwidsky, from the Likud party, said: "If he is a Nukhba, everything is legitimate to do! Everything!" When responding to a question from Arab Israeli KM Ahmad Tibi's criticism of the treatment of Palestinian prisoners by Israeli soldiers.[19][3] Knesset member Simcha Rothman also commented on the Nukhba, "we see over and over again an enormous disconnect between the justice and enforcement agencies, who persecute reservists, heroic fighters, who left everything behind in order to protect us from the Nukhba terrorists, for whom 'animals' is a compliment".[4]
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- Redwan Force
- Shayetet 13, Israeli Navy special forces unit
- Syria's Tomorrow Movement § Military wing (Syrian Elite Forces)
- On October 14, 2023, the Israel Defense Forces announced that Ali Al Qadi was killed in a drone attack.[20][21]
- Killed by an airstrike on an apartment complex on October 17, 2023.[15]
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