Brief: Gazan “Gray-Zone Militants” Challenge U.S. Immigration Vetting (The Jamestown Foundation)

A Gazan man accused of participating in the October 7 attacks entered the United States on a visa after concealing his ties to the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP). His arrest exposes gaps in immigration vetting for militants from smaller or non-Islamist factions. The case underscores a growing counterterrorism challenge posed by “gray-zone militants”—combatants with combat experience and ideology but unclear organizational ties, making them difficult to identify through current screening systems.

Brief: Gazan “Gray-Zone Militants” Challenge U.S. Immigration Vetting – Jamestown