IDF troops, helicopter engage, kill terrorists in close quarters combat in Jenin
The health ministry identified one of the Palestinians as Muhammad Hafez Rafiq Abu Bakr, aged 24 years old. He died of a critical bullet wound sustained from the exchange of fire.
The IDF raided Jenin on Thursday in search of terrorist suspects and infrastructure.
Three Palestinians were killed and 13 were wounded in clashes with Israel forces, the Palestinian Authority’s Health Ministry reported.
The IDF said Israeli forces had killed terrorists in close-range encounters in Jenin, including a wanted suspect.
The PA’s Health Ministry said Muhammad Hafez Rafiq Abu Bakr, 24, was shot during an exchange of fire and succumbed to his wounds.
Palestine Red Crescent Society treating numerous wounded
The Palestine Red Crescent Society said it was treating at least six people who were shot, four who sustained shrapnel wounds, and one person who was run over by an IDF jeep. Its teams were fired at while recovering some of the dead, it said.
The IDF said an IAF helicopter was involved in the raid.
The Israeli forces, including the Duvdevan special unit, were operating in the area under the direction of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) to thwart ongoing terrorist activities, the IDF said.
Soldiers destroyed explosive devices and detained a wanted suspect, it said.
There were no Israeli casualties, it added.
The raid followed recent IDF operations in the West Bank. An IAF fighter jet recently targeted a building in Jenin that was said to be harboring terrorists.
The IDF has been on alert for increased terrorist activity from the West Bank in recent weeks.
On Thursday, the IDF warned the government that its policy of cutting funds off from the PA could push the West Bank toward a third intifada, KAN News reported.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said Israel was facing “complicated international pressure,” but it was determined to change the security reality in the area.
“Israel is engaged in a difficult battle on many fronts,” he said at the end of a security assessment on the West Bank. “We are fighting in the South, we are fighting in the North, we are also fighting in Judea and Samaria.”
Since the start of the Gaza war last October, the West Bank has turned into a secondary front. Violence there was already surging, with the United Nations reporting a record-high number of Palestinians killed in 2023 amid increased IDF raids and settler attacks.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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