The Post spent time with a group of fighters at a Palestinian militant cell, affording a rare window into the lives and actions of fighters on one side of the worst violence to grip the West Bank in decades.
Israel says the raids are essential for breaking up terrorist cells and protecting Israeli citizens. As the mayhem has spread, though, hundreds of Palestinians like Zoufi have jumped into the fight. Some are aligned with organized cells — al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, Hamas, the Iran-backed Islamic Jihad. Others act alone or withMany say they were compelled to take up arms because the Palestinian Authority has stayed on the sidelines.
Zoufi has been an on-and-off fighter, his life mirroring the rhythm of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The 19-year-old subordinate, nicknamed Sheamus, nodded. He joined the brigade after seeing his best friend shot to death by Israeli soldiers as the two were throwing rocks, he said. “Before that, I was normal.”
The fighters, who inspire both fear and fealty, enjoy cultlike status in the camp. There are no sports teams here. Male unemployment is nearing 90 percent. With few role models of any kind, boys collect stickers, posters and necklaces bearing images of slain militants.They follow the living ones in the streets, vying for attention and the chance to hold one of the weapons that are smuggled into the camp, many of them stolen or purchased illicitly from Israeli armories.
In the daylight hours, the men rested out of the sun and watched TikTok videos, many of them showing the funerals of militants killed in recent Israeli raids. The 15 fighters in the Balata brigade are all associated with the Fatah, the dominant faction in the West Bank and the Palestinian Authority. But they say their funding for weapons comes from individuals who give to many of the militant groups.
Well after dark, a fighter known as Udai took the Post reporters in a car out of Balata. He was heading to the nearby Askar Camp to join in the celebration for a fighter who had just been released after 21 years in prison.
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