Hamas commander, eight other gunmen killed in IDF drone strikes near Tulkarem
First strike hit terror cell en route to carry out attack, military says; second drone strike hits operatives amid clashes in West Bank city
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Nine Palestinian gunmen were killed in two Israeli drone strikes near the West Bank city of Tulkarem on Saturday morning, the military and Palestinian media said
In the first incident, the Israel Defense Forces said it had targeted a cell of terrorists en route to carrying out an attack.
The strike hit a vehicle on the outskirts of Tulkarem, killing all of those inside.
According to the military, the five gunmen were “on their way to carry out a terrorist attack.”
The IDF published footage of the strike.
Palestinian media said that among the dead was Haitham Balidi, a commander in a local wing of Hamas in Tulkarem.
צה"ל תקף במרחב הכפר קפין שבחטיבת מנשה, בהכוונה מודיעינית של שב"כ ובאמצעות כלי טיס של חיל האוויר, רכב ובו חמישה מחבלים שהיו בדרכם לבצע פיגוע טרור.
כוחות צה״ל, שב״כ ומג״ב ממשיכים לפעול כעת בטול-כרם שבחטיבת מנשה לסיכול טרור במרחב pic.twitter.com/fF5gqcfDQi
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 3, 2024
Two others were identified as Abd al-Jabber al-Sabbagh and Ahmed Mahajna.
Shortly after the drone strike, Israeli troops entered Tulkarem to carry out a counterterrorism operation, the IDF said.
Amid the raid in Tulkarem, a second drone strike was carried out against a cell of gunmen who had opened fire at troops, the military said.
At least four gunmen were reported dead in the strike, according to Palestinian media and Israeli military sources.
בפעילות משותפת של צה״ל, שב״כ ומג"ב חוסלה חוליית מחבלים נוספת, במהלך היתקלות של כוחות מיחידת דובדבן בטול-כרם שבחטיבת מנשה. זוהו ארבעה מחבלים אשר פתחו בירי לעבר כוחותינו, בהכוונה מודיעינית של שב"כ, לוחמי דובדבן ויחידה 636 כלי-טיס של חיל-האוויר חיסל את החוליה. pic.twitter.com/3y3ofQN1rP
— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) August 3, 2024
The IDF published an image of the weapons and military equipment seized from the cell.
In the past nine months, the IDF has carried out more than 55 airstrikes in the West Bank, using drones, attack helicopters, and fighter jets.
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 4,400 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 1,850 affiliated with Hamas.
According to the Palestinian Authority health ministry, more than 590 West Bank Palestinians have been killed in that time. The IDF says the vast majority of them were gunmen killed in exchanges of fire, rioters who clashed with troops, or terrorists carrying out attacks.
During the same period, 23 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.
