Samson Unit

Samson Unit, or Shimshon (שמשון) was a special forces unit within the Israeli Defense Forces. Named after the biblical figure who lived in the same vicinity. Shimshon unit’s modus operandi focused on under cover military operations against Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. Shimshon was disbanded in 1995 following the Oslo Accords, when senior military and political leaders welcomed the long-awaited peace with their Palestinian neighbors. The Samson Unit had a “sister unit” Duvdevan, which operated in Judea and Samaria.

Function

Samson Unit’s roles are believed to have included:

• Intelligence collection in the battlespace on an ongoing basis, as means to continuously know the area, and as preparation for upcoming operations. Samson reportedly gathered intelligence for its and other units’ operations.

• Counter-terrorism operations in the Gaza Strip, which included psychological warfare and the arrest of key enemy combatants