Palestinian killed, 7 wounded in IDF raid in Jenin; no arrests made

Army says troops came under ‘massive gunfire’ in overnight op, vehicles damaged by bombs; fatality was member of Al-Aqsa brigade terror group; 6 detained elsewhere in West Bank

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

Israeli troops operate in the West Bank, early on the morning of May 29, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)
Israeli troops operate in the West Bank, early on the morning of May 29, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)

A Palestinian man was killed and at least seven were wounded during a raid by the Israeli military on the northern West Bank city of Jenin early Monday, according to Palestinian health officials.

The Palestinian Authority Health Ministry said 37-year-old Ashraf Muhammad Amin Ibrahim was fatally shot in the abdomen and chest by Israeli troops during the raid. Earlier, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa said eight people were wounded, including one seriously, during the raid on several neighborhoods in the city.

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that no suspects were arrested in Jenin, but that several weapon parts and other military equipment were seized.

The IDF said that troops came under “massive gunfire” in the city, and armed Palestinians hurled improvised explosive devices, causing damage to several military vehicles.

Troops returned fire at the Palestinian gunmen, hitting several of them, the IDF said.

Palestinian media later circulated a graphic and carried a statement by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade claiming Ibrahim was a member of the terror group as well as an intelligence officer in the Palestinian Authority security forces.

The military said it was aware of a Palestinian being wounded by an IED that was hurled toward troops in the northern West Bank city.

A short clip circulated by Palestinian media outlets showed an explosive device detonating near an Israeli military vehicle in Jenin.

The IDF said that troops detained six wanted Palestinians in other areas of the West Bank during overnight raids.

The raid came hours after a Palestinian man was shot and moderately wounded after allegedly placing an IED on a highway in the central West Bank on Sunday night.

Earlier on Sunday, the local wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group, based in Jenin, opened fire at a settlement and a town in Israel bordering the security barrier, causing light damage.

Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians have been elevated for the past year, with the military carrying out near-nightly raids in the West Bank, in the wake of a series of deadly Palestinian terror attacks.

A string of Palestinian attacks in Israel and the West Bank killed 19 people and left several more seriously hurt this year.

At least 114 West Bank Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the year, most of them while carrying out attacks or during clashes with security forces, but some were uninvolved civilians or were killed under circumstances that are being investigated.

Over the past year, Palestinian gunmen have repeatedly targeted troops carrying out arrest raids, military posts, Israeli settlements, and civilians on the roads.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

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