Brothers of terrorist who killed 2 in ramming attacks found illegally inside Israel

Israeli security forces continued a large-scale counterterrorism operation in the northern West Bank town of Qabatiya on Saturday, a day after a deadly ramming-stabbing attack in northern Israel that killed two Israelis.

A full curfew remained in effect in the town, the IDF said, with movement heavily restricted.

In the attack, Ahmed al-Rub, a Palestinian from Qabatiya, murdered 68-year-old Shimshon Mordechai and 19-year-old Aviv Maor during a minutes-long terror rampage on a highway near Beit She’an.

A 16-year-old who was wounded in the attack remained hospitalized on Saturday, according to media reports.

Two of the terrorists’ brothers were arrested overnight inside Israel, in a joint operation between the Yamam counterterror police force and the Shin Bet, police said. The pair were located in an agricultural building in Arraba, a Galilee town where they and their brother had worked illegally.

Rub himself was released from the hospital on Saturday after being treated for his wounds at HaEmek Medical Center in Afula, and was transferred to Shin Bet custody for interrogation.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir held a situational assessment Saturday at the Menashe Regional Brigade headquarters in the northern West Bank following the attack. The discussion was focused on ongoing IDF operations in Qabatiya and the continuation of counterterrorism activity across the northern West Bank.

The army said it had begun the process of sealing off Rub’s home in Qabatiya, which is often a replacement or stopgap for demolition.

As a matter of policy, Israel demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out deadly terror attacks. In general, the demolition process takes several months, as the High Court must address appeals by the family, and security forces often wait for an optimal time to enter Palestinian cities or neighborhoods for the operation.

The military said that IDF troops had mapped out the home on Friday and began sealing it off on Saturday, after IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth signed off on the order following all the necessary permits. Security forces also intended to advance the process of destroying the home, the IDF added.

During the mapping and sealing process, several suspects were arrested in Qabatiya on suspicion of terror-related activities, and dozens of others were interrogated, the IDF said.

Earlier Saturday, the military said that forces from the Duvdevan commando unit, the Paratroopers reconnaissance unit, the Border Police, and the Israel Prison Service’s Metzada unit were operating in Qabatiya.

A full curfew has been imposed on Qabatiya, with engineering forces carrying out blockades across the town. The IDF said that aerial forces were providing fire support and reconnaissance over Qabatiya and the nearby Jenin area, while additional forces continue to reinforce the seam line, a swath of West Bank land on the Israeli side of the West Bank security barrier.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said Saturday evening that Israeli forces were “acting forcefully against terror hubs” in Qabatiya, including “a complete closure and encirclement of the village.”

Katz added that anyone “who provides backing or shelter to terror will pay the full price.”

Friday’s attack began shortly past noon in Beit She’an along Route 71, which runs just north of the West Bank, security forces said. Rub first rammed his car into a 16-year-old boy, who was later hospitalized with light wounds, and then into Shimshon Mordechai, 68, killing him.

He then drove toward Afula, first stopping near Kibbutz Ein Harod, where he stabbed to death Aviv Maor, 19. At the entrance to Afula, the terrorist then drove into a utility pole while trying to run over another man, then got out of the car and hit the man in the head with a stone. The man was hospitalized and later released.

Rub then tried to flee on foot but was shot and wounded by a civilian before being arrested.