The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
Supporters of the Islamic State (ISIS) have alleged that a supporter, 'Izz Al-Din Ba'lushah, was killed on March 25 while clashing with Israeli forces near the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza city. While a statement in the name of ISIS circulated claiming the operation, it appears not to be authentic.
Reports Of Ba'lushah's Death In Clashes With Israeli Forces Near Al-Shifa Hospital
On March 25, 2024, pro-ISIS Telegram channel "Al-Muqsiteen" [Those Who Act Justly] posted: "The transaction was profitable. Ba'lushah and his companions, who made the Jews taste sorrow near the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza, announced to them the beginning of a new chapter in the battle which they had not known since the era of the [Prophet Muhammad's] Companions. It has begun…"[1]
On the same day, X (formely Twitter) user 'Ali Husayn Al-Bajiri posted a a one-minute, 38-second video[2] with the text: "The inghimasi [commando-style fighter who carries out an operation likely to lead to his death] 'Izz Al-Din Ba'lushah, who raided the Jewish army in the vicinity of the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza city." The video contains several still images of an armed Ba'lushah, some with him posing in front of black ISIS flags. One image shows a rocket in front of an ISIS banner, with the caption "the terrorizer of Sderot," an Israeli town bordering Gaza. Another shows two men with their faces blurred – described as "soldiers of the caliphate" from "Al-Aqsa Palestine" – swearing allegiance to ISIS' slain fourth leader Abu Al-Husayn Al-Husayni Al-Qurashi on January 8, 2023, while a section of video shows a man with his face blurred and voice distorted swearing allegiance to the current ISIS caliph, Abu Hafs Al-Hashemi Al-Qurashi. Another image shows Ba'lushah holding a T-4 assault rifle, with the caption "spoils from the battle," while another shows him with an M-16 rifle, with the caption "captured on October 7 … covered with the blood of the soldiers, after he killed some of them and took spoils." While Ba'lushah's face cannot be seen clearly in all the images, the video implies that he swore allegiance to the current and previous ISIS leaders, fired rockets at Sderot, and killed Israeli soldiers while participating in the October 7 invasion of Israel.
X user 'Abd Qazzaz posted the same video the following day, writing: "My brother and the spirit of my life, the monotheist martyr, son of the Islamic State, 'Izz Al-Din Ibrahim Ba'lushah (Abu Ibrahim), was martyred while waging jihad, in clashes in Gaza, while inflicting losses on the enemies of Allah, seizing spoils, fighting under the banner 'there is no God but Allah,' going forward and not turning his back."[3]
Another X account, "Palestine The Flash," posted images of Ba'lushah, adding that the slain fighter "swore allegiance to the Islamic State" and "appeared in videos and photos from 2011."[4]
Fake ISIS Claim Of Operation
On March 26, X user Sayf Al-Din Al-Iraqi posted[5] a claim issued in the name of ISIS in "Palestine," dated March 25, reporting "casualties among the ranks of the unbelieving Jewish forces in an inghimasi attack perpetrated by a fighter from the Islamic State in Palestine." The claim identifies the attacker as "'Izz Al-Din Ba'lushah, may Allah accept him [as a martyr]," reporting that he "set out … toward forces of the unbelieving Jewish police in the city of Gaza, in northern [sic] Palestine, and clashed with them using his machine gun, causing members of the Jewish police to incur injuries of various severity, praise to Allah." The claim continues: "Let the unbelieving Jews know that our war with them continues and that what is coming will be more calamitous and bitter, Allah willing."
The account also posted a photo of Ba'lushah allegedly by ISIS' A'maq News Agency.
The claim and photo do not appear on any of the Telegram channels that routinely forward official ISIS media content, and the wording of the claim is inconsistent with ISIS' usual style.
Responding to a post reporting that ISIS claimed an attack by Ba'lushah, X user "Al-Khilafah Qademah" [The Caliphate Is Coming] described him as an ISIS operative and claimed he perpetrated the attack "to avenge the chaste sisters who were raped by the Jewish forces."[6]
ISIS operatives and supporters have previously carried out attacks in Israel and Gaza. In March 2022, ISIS claimed a shooting attack in the Israeli city of Hadera perpetrated by cousins Ayman and Ibrahim Ighbariyeh, and also praised an earlier car-ramming and stabbing carried out by supporter Muhammad Abu Al-Qi'an in Beersheba.[7] After a November 2022 bombing in Jerusalem by ISIS supporter Eslam Froukh – who was arrested by Israeli security forces a month later – ISIS supporters glorified Froukh, although ISIS never claimed the bombing.[8]
On November 5, 2023, ISIS operative Nabil Halabiyah was killed in clashes with Israeli security forces in the East Jerusalem suburb of Abu Dis, after a lengthy manhunt following his perpetration of a shooting targeting Israeli forces months earlier, shortly after his release from prison.[9]
In December 2023, a pro-ISIS Telegram channel celebrated reports of ISIS operatives' participation in the October 7 Hamas-led invasion of Israel, claiming they fought "fiercely" and "inflicted great harm on the Jews."[10]
1] Telegram, March 25, 2024.
[2] Twitter, March 25, 2024.
[3] Twitter, March 26, 2024.
[4] Twitter, March 25, 2024.
[5] Twitter, March 26, 2024.
[6] Twitter, March 25, 2024.
[7] See MEMRI JTTM Reports: Jihadis Praise Fatal Car-Ramming And Stabbing Attack By Islamic State (ISIS) Supporter In Southern Israel And Call For More Of The Same, March 23, 2022; and ISIS Official Media Claims Responsibility For Terrorist Attack In Hadera, Israel, March 27, 2022.
[8] See MEMRI JTTM Report: After Israel Arrests Perpetrator Of Jerusalem Double Bombing, ISIS Supporters Highlight Bomber's Ties To Organization, Al-Qaeda Supporters Accuse Pro-Iran Media Of Falsely Taking Credit, December 28, 2022
[9] See MEMRI JTTM Report: Pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Media Group Glorifies Supporter Killed Fighting Israeli Soldiers In East Jerusalem, Claims He Chose To Die Rather Than Surrender As Ordered By ISIS Founder Al-Baghdadi, November 7, 2023.
[10] See MEMRI JTTM Report: Pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Telegram Channel Celebrates Participation Of ISIS Supporters In October 7 Invasion Of Israel, Urges Palestinians To Target Israeli Towns, December 11, 2023.
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