Nov. 12, 2019 was no ordinary day for the Israeli military. At 4 a.m. an Israeli Air Force drone carried out a surgical strike in the Shujaiyya neighborhood in the Gaza Strip, taking out Baha Abu al-Ata, the head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's operations in the coastal enclave. The score with one of the most notorious archterrorist to ever emerge in Gaza had thus been settled.
The assassination of Ata was the first since Operation Protective Edge, fought in the Strip in 2014. Pursuing it meant Gaza's terrorist groups would retaliate with heavy rocket fire on southern and central Israel, but that was a calculated risk the Israeli leadership felt it had to take.
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The operation was led by the IAF's highly classified drone unit, which in recent years has been playing a greater role in the military's intelligence gathering and operational efforts deep behind enemy lines.
Israel Hayom has been granted an exclusive, albeit limited access to the officers privy to the elimination of Ata, which is considered one of the most significant military operations in recent years.
Born in Shujaiyya in 1977, Ata was recruited by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in 1990. He rose through the ranks quickly and in 2007, after a short training in Syrian, he was named commander of the Gaza division of the al-Quds Brigades, the PIJ's military wing, and focused on developing the infrastructure necessary to support the local production of rockets and missiles.
A few years after that he was made in charge of all of the Islamic Jihad's operations in northern Gaza, making him the de-facto "chief of staff" of the Gaza-based terrorist group.
Israeli intelligence classified him as "a ticking time bomb," but for years, but after the IDF tried – and failed – to assassinate him in 2012, his elimination was repeatedly postponed, in part because of the serious ramifications it was sure to harbor.
In 2018, it became clear that Ata was the mastermind behind 99% of the terrorist attacks emanating from the Gaza Strip, and that he was single-handedly disrupting the delicate status quo between Israel and the terrorist groups in Gaza.
Israel employed various diplomatic back channels to make it clear to Islamic Jihad – and to Hamas, as Gaza's ruler – that they had to rein Ata in, but to no avail.
The decision to target Ata, codenamed Operation Black Belt, was made in 2018, but its execution was postponed due to Operation Northern Shield, during which Israel exposed and destroyed a grid of terror tunnel dug by Hezbollah, Iran's proxy in the region, under the Lebanon-Israel border.
Once the order was given to plan Ata's assassination, the operation was classified as top secret, meaning the drone unit officers never knew who their target was. IAF drones performed meticulous, around-the-clock surveillance of the target for months and found out every detail about his life and daily routine. Surveillance was so tight that those involved in the operations knew not only where Ata was at any given time, but also when he had his children were with him.
According to drone unit officer Captain A., the intelligence-gathering effort encompassed the entire military intelligence community, the IAF, the Shin Bet security agency, and Unit 9900 – Military Intelligence's satellite division.
"The decision to eliminate an individual is not made overnight," he explained. "We gather quite a bit of intelligence on the target and all means are permissible, across the board.
"We knew the location of his home, his whereabouts at any given time, and much more. There is no doubt that the Gaza Strip is a challenge because the enemy invests considerable resources to camouflage itself among civilians, but we have our capabilities to counter that," he said.
The 'golden clue'
"Ata wasn't the only one on the hit list but he was the one who was chosen as the target. Once the order was given, we switched to 'war mode,'" A. said.
"We know that Ata was largely responsible for the unrest in the south and we had quite a bit of information on him. When the operation got the green light we were ready. We invested considerable resources to execute the mission, including visual tools and other, significant instruments that enabled us to pinpoint his location."
Director of Military Intelligence Maj. Gen. Tamir Heyman supervised the mission personally.
Late on Nov. 11, 2019, Military Intelligence obtained the "golden clue": Ata, who would always surround himself with others as a human shield, was at home with his wife – and no one else.
The operation, headed by GOC Southern Command Maj.-Gen. Herzl Halevi, was a go.
The IAF's 200th Squadron, which was placed on alert ahead of an "unspecified high-profile mission" weeks before, immediately went on high alert.
"We're no strangers to complex missions, but a hit the immediate implication of which is rocket fire on the greater Tel Aviv area is never a simple thing. Israel hasn't pursued this type of operation in years. We're not short on training, but kind of mission means we have to be extra sharp," Captain R., the squadron commander said.
"We're not the ones solely responsible for a mission's success, intelligence-wise, but for me my crew – anything we miss could undermine it. There's a lot riding on our abilities."
At 4 a.m. the final green light was given and a precision missile was fired at Ata's home. When the smoke cleared off the house, it was clear that whoever was in the bedroom could not have escaped with his life.
If this were a spy thriller, this would be the moment when the teams in the control room, having been on the edge of their seats for hours, would break out in applause and cheers. Real life, however, isn't as exciting.
"Those moments and hours immediately after [an operation] are exactly when you have to remain as sharp as you can. It's the worst possible time to pat yourself on the shoulder," R. explained.
He was right. Two hours later, Gaza's terrorist groups opened rocket fire on southern and central Israel.
Q: Is there a sense of satisfaction in knowing that you've eliminated a man responsible for the deaths of so many Israelis?
"Carrying out any mission has a sense of satisfaction. I don't delve into the significance of every mission outside its tactical level," R. said.
"When you see the news you understand that you carried out the mission to the best of your ability. Sometimes the mission involves saving lives and sometimes it involves taking them. In both cases there is a sense of satisfaction when the job is well done."
According to A., "We can't really speak about what we do with our families because it's classified. But I can tell you that as a civilian – I sleep soundly at night. We have amazing capabilities."
Chronicles of escalation foretold
Two hours after the fact, the IDF issued a statement confirming that Ata – an Islamic Jihad operative most Israelis were oblivious to – had been eliminated, citing intelligence indicating he was planning rocket fire and sniper attacks on the Israeli communities near the Gaza border.
Two hours after that Islamic Jihad launched a massive rocket salvo at southern and central Israel.
"Taking out an Islamic Jihad operative of Ata's caliber means you have to be ready for every scenario," A. said.
"We were ready for anything: containable escalation, one that would stretch beyond a few days of fighting, and – if the order came down – a full-fledged [military] campaign. Every option was on the table, including targets for potential hits.
"We have the intelligence we need on them. Over time, we've complied 'target files' on each and every one so we'd be good to go when the orders came. No one there can be complacent."
Lt. G., another squadron member, noted that "there is a sense of catharsis after missions like that," adding that knowing an innocent party – Ata's wife – was also killed, makes dealing with the aftermath of the mission more complex.
"Sometimes, eliminating a terrorist like this comes with a price and it is up to the decision-makers to determine what price Israel is willing to pay.
"We follow the principle of proportionality, try to be as humane as possible and minimize harm as much as possible. It's not a computer game and it's not easy for anyone to do these things. You decide people's fate and you are fully aware of the meaning of what you do."
Lt. Col. R., who as commander of the IAF's UAV Operators School and a former commander of an operational squadron has dozens of drone missions under his belt, agrees.
"We may not be on the battlefield physically, but we do see it up close. The image we see [in the command center] allows to clearly tell apart a terrorist from a civilian."
According to A., "It was clear to all of us that without Ata around, the sector will be far less agitated. This is why this was a significant mission and there is no doubt it saved Israeli lives."
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