The unit reportedly coordinates targeted strikes carried out primarily by the Israeli Air Force in Gaza and in neighboring countries.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
Israel’s defense and intelligence agencies created a secret elite task force called NILI to track down and kill or capture individuals involved in the October 7, 2023 massacre, The Wall Street Journal reported.
According to the report, the unit was established by the Shin Bet and IDF intelligence shortly after the October 7 attacks.
The name NILI is an acronym for “Netzach Yisrael Lo Yeshaker,” translated as “The Eternal One of Israel does not lie.”
The task force assembled a database containing thousands of Palestinian names, including Hamas Nukhba commandos who crossed into Israel during the attack and Hamas figures accused of helping plan the assault, the report said.
A person is approved as a target only after investigators obtain two separate pieces of evidence confirming their presence during the attack, according to the report.
The Wall Street Journal said intelligence personnel working with the task force rely on facial recognition technology, intercepted communications, social media monitoring, and information gathered during interrogations of detainees from Gaza.
The unit reportedly coordinates targeted strikes carried out primarily by the Israeli Air Force in Gaza and in neighboring countries.
The report also said the task force has participated in operations targeting Hamas leaders in Iran and Lebanon in addition to strikes inside Gaza.
“The clear message to all future enemies is to think again about the price of a terrorist operation like that,” said Shalom Ben Hanan, a former senior official in the Shin Bet (Israeli Security Agency).
One security official told the newspaper that the unit gave priority to targeting operatives whose deaths could provide comfort to families of victims, describing the policy as “treatment for the soul.”
According to The Wall Street Journal, the task force has been scaled back since the start of the ceasefire with Hamas.
The report said the remaining personnel now mainly transfer intelligence on targets to commanders overseeing military operations in Gaza.
The report did not specify how many individuals have been targeted by the task force since its formation after the October 7 attacks.
