IDF: 7 Palestinian gunmen killed, including cell behind roadside bomb, in Jenin raid
Troops surround home in northern West Bank where pair behind killing of Cpt. Alon Sacgiu were holed up; four armed men killed in drone strike amid operation
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Seven Palestinian gunmen, including members of a cell behind a deadly roadside bombing attack last week, were killed in a drone strike and in clashes with troops in the northern West Bank city of Jenin on Friday morning, the Israeli military said.
The Israel Defense Forces said troops of the Duvedevan commando unit and Kfir Brigade’s Haruv reconnaissance unit raided Jenin following intelligence provided by the Shin Bet on the location of the cell that killed Cpt. Alon Sacgiu and wounded 16 other soldiers on June 27.
The special forces encircled a building in Jenin where Hammam Hashash, 23, and his brother Harith Hashash, 19, — who according to the IDF were behind the roadside bomb attack — were holed up, and carried out a tactic known as “pressure cooker” that involves escalating the volume of fire directed at a building to force suspects to come out.
The soldiers fired several shoulder-launched missiles at the building and exchanged fire with the two gunmen, a military source said.
The pair were eventually killed in the clashes, the IDF said.
A third member of the roadside bomb cell, Nidal Amer, was killed by Border Police troops in Jenin on Wednesday, according to the military.
Separately, amid the operation, the IDF said the troops clashed with other terror operatives, and a drone strike was carried out against a cell of four gunmen that was identified in the area.
במהלך השעות האחרונות, לוחמי יחידת דובדבן וסיירת חרוב בהכוונה מודיעינית של השב״כ פעלו לסיכול טרור במרחב ג׳נין.
במסגרת הפעילות, הכוחות ניהלו חילופי אש עם מחבלים במרחב ובמקביל פעלו בנוהל ״סיר לחץ״, על מבנה בו התבצרו מחבלים נוספים>> pic.twitter.com/kf5hGn9HYU
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) July 5, 2024
The IDF published footage of the drone strike. Since October 7, the IDF has carried out some 55 airstrikes in the West Bank, using drones, attack helicopters, and fighter jets. Those strikes have killed more than 90 terror operatives, and dozens more were wounded, according to the military.
In all, seven Palestinian gunmen were killed in the operation on Friday — including two in the building, four in the airstrike, and another gunman in clashes — according to the IDF.
The Palestinian Authority health ministry also reported seven dead.
In addition to the Hashash brothers, the other five men were named by the ministry as Ahmed Amouri, 20, Qusay Hazouz, 23, Fouad Ashqar, 25, Yassin al-Aridi, 30 and Muhammad Jabareen, 54.
The Hamas terror group named al-Aridi and Hammam Hashash, as well as Nidal Amer, as members; and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group claimed Ashqar, Amouri, and Hazouz as members. Jabareen was not claimed by either group, but was referred to as a “fighter” by Hamas.
???? بعد قـصـف الاحتـلال لمنزل في مخيم جنين ومحاصرة منزل آخر، وبرصاص قناص صـ&ـيوني.. ارتقـاء 7 شـهـداء في مدينة جنين ومخيمها:
– الشقيقان همام وحارث حشاش، حوصِر منزلهما لمدة 4 ساعات.. اخـتـطف الاحتـلال جثمان همام، بينما وُجد جثمان حارث تحت أنقـاض المنزل المدمر.
– الشـهـيد أحمد… pic.twitter.com/MCR7W5OFSM
— Taqadomi (@taqadomy_ps) July 5, 2024
Tensions have been high in the West Bank amid the war in the Gaza Strip, which began on October 7 when thousands of Hamas terrorists attacked southern Israel under a barrage of rockets fired at population centers all over the country. They brutally killed some 1,200 people, amid instances of torture and rape, and seized 251 hostages.
Since October 7, troops have arrested some 4,200 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 1,750 affiliated with Hamas.
According to the Palestinian Authority health ministry, more than 560 West Bank Palestinians have been killed in that time. The IDF says the vast majority of them were gunmen killed during raids or terrorists carrying out attacks.
During the same period, 22 Israelis, including security personnel, have been killed in terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank. Another five members of the security forces were killed in clashes with terror operatives in the West Bank.
