IDF: 2 Palestinian gunmen open fire at West Bank checkpoint, are shot dead by troops
Soldiers had been ready in ambush near Salem Crossing after recent repeated attacks in area; one the gunmen’s magazines had sticker with Palestinian Islamic Jihad logo
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Two Palestinian gunmen who opened fire at a checkpoint in the northern West Bank in the pre-dawn hours of Saturday were shot dead by troops, the military said.
The incident took place at the Salem checkpoint and army base, close to the Arab Israeli town of the same name, and some 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the West Bank city of Jenin.
Troops of the Border Defense Corps’ 636th Combat Intelligence Collection Unit had been ready in an ambush following several recent similar attacks at the same location, when the gunman arrived by vehicle at the checkpoint area.
As the gunmen began shooting at the checkpoint and adjacent base, the soldiers returned fire at the pair, killing both, the Israel Defense Forces said.
The gunmen’s assault rifles were seized. An image released by the IDF showed that one of the gun’s magazines had a sticker with the logo of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group.
No troops were hurt in the incident.
متابعة | ارتقاء الشابين مصطفى عابد وأحمد شواهنة بعد خوضهما اشتباكاً مسلحاً مع قوات الاحتلال في محيط حاجز سالم قرب جنين فجر اليوم، والاحتلال يحتجز جثمانيهما." pic.twitter.com/bbdorpuIwk
— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) April 27, 2024
The gunmen were named by the Palestinian Authority health ministry as Mustafa Abed, 21, and Ahmed Shawahna, 20. It said two more Palestinians were wounded by Israeli fire in the Jenin area, although the circumstances of their injury were not immediately clear.
The Salem Crossing has been the target of frequent shooting attacks in recent years. It is predominantly used by Arab Israelis who travel to the Palestinian city of Jenin and the surrounding area for business or leisure. It has been largely shuttered for civilian traffic in recent years.
Violence in the West Bank, already on the rise before October 7 — when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel to kill nearly 1,200 people and abduct over 250 — has escalated throughout the war sparked by the onslaught, with frequent army raids on terror groups, deadly Palestinian attacks, and rampages by Jewish settlers in Palestinian villages, at times also deadly.
Since October 7, troops have arrested some 3,850 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 1,650 affiliated with Hamas, the IDF has said.
According to the PA health ministry, more than 490 West Bank Palestinians have been killed in that time. The IDF says the vast majority of them were gunmen killed amid raids or terrorists carrying out attacks.
