Two senior Hamas operatives killed in IDF drone strike in West Bank city of Jenin
Military, Shin Bet say Ahmed Abu Ara and Raafat Dawasi helped plan the deadly Jordan Valley shooting attack last week in which Yonatan Deutsch was killed
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Two senior Hamas terrorists were killed in an Israeli drone strike in the West Bank city of Jenin on Saturday evening, the IDF and Shin Bet security agency said.
In a joint statement, the IDF and Shin Bet confirmed that the pair of Hamas operatives were involved in planning a shooting attack in the Jordan Valley last week, in which 23-year-old Yonatan Deutsch was killed and another civilian was wounded.
The two Hamas operatives, identified as Ahmed Abu Ara, from Aqqaba, and Raafat Dawasi, from Silat al-Harithiya, were killed in the drone strike that targeted their car while they were driving in Jenin.
The IDF and Shin Bet said that Abu Ara had previously been involved in additional terror attacks and played a role in manufacturing explosive devices for Hamas, and Dawasi was a senior member of a Hamas terror network in Jenin.
Hamas later confirmed that the two men were members of the terror group, saying that Dawasi was a commander in the Jenin wing while Abu Ara was a senior operative.
According to Hamas, the pair were involved in planning and carrying out a series of attacks in addition to last Sunday’s shooting, including a deadly roadside bombing in Jenin on June 27 and another bombing against Defense Ministry workers on the West Bank security barrier on July 23.
In an unusual move, the IDF and Shin Bet also named a detained Palestinian terror suspect, Yassin Ghanem, who they said had revealed to the security agency that the two Hamas operatives were involved in the Jordan Valley shooting.
The military released footage of the strike that targeted Abu Ara and Dawasi.
כלי-טיס תקף מהאוויר רכב בג׳נין שבחטיבת מנשה, בו חוסלו שני פעילי חמאס בכירים.
המחבל אחמד אבו ערה מעקאבה, היה מעורב בפיגועים נוספים. כמו כן, שימש כגורם בכיר המעורב בייצור של מטענים למטרות טרור.
בנוסף, המחבל ראפת דואסי מסילת אלחרתיה, בכיר בתשתית החמאס הצבאית במרחב ג׳נין.השניים… pic.twitter.com/y7BbTBiWQw
— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) August 17, 2024
Video footage of the strike posted online showed the strike from different angles. In one video, the explosion was captured from the dashboard camera of a car behind the target, and in another angle, the vehicle is seen on fire in the middle of the street.
لحظة استهداف السيارة من طيران الاحتلال وسط مدينة جنين pic.twitter.com/fSkkGbyPRd
— Newpress | نيو برس (@NewpressPs) August 17, 2024
Since October 7, the IDF has carried out more than 60 airstrikes in the West Bank, using drones, attack helicopters, and fighter jets.
During that time, Israeli troops have also arrested some 4,850 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 1,960 affiliated with Hamas.
דובר צה"ל:
ראשוני: כלי טיס תקף מהאוויר חוליית מחבלים במרחב ג׳נין שבחטיבת מנשה, פרטים נוספים בהמשך. pic.twitter.com/59bbT9XVqt
— מה חדש. What's new❓ (@Gloz111) August 17, 2024
According to the Palestinian Authority health ministry, more than 630 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.
In the same period, 26 people, including Israeli 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.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
