IDF probing killing of armed PA police officer by troops in West Bank
Troops demolish home of terrorist who carried out deadly shooting in February; 5 Palestinians suspected of carrying out bombing at settlement arrested
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
A Palestinian Authority customs police officer was shot dead by Israeli troops in the West Bank city of Tubas on Wednesday morning, in an incident that the Israel Defense Forces said was under investigation.
According to the IDF, troops detained two wanted Palestinians over their suspected involvement in terror activity during a raid in Tubas overnight.
In the morning hours, during the operation, troops encountered several gunmen, the army said.
“An armed Palestinian who served as a customs officer of the Palestinian Authority was killed during the clashes,” the IDF said, adding that “the circumstances of the incident are being investigated.”
The officer was named by Palestinian media as Abdel Nasser Sarhan. Footage posted to social media shows the moment Israeli troops shot him dead.
The soldiers are seen driving up to a corner of a road in Tubas in a white van, before getting out and opening fire upon spotting the armed man.
One IDF soldier was lightly hurt during the operation, the military said.
عاجل
لحظة اغتيال الضابط في الضابطة الجمركية الشهيد عبدالناصر سرحان ابن مخيم بلاطة في مدينة طوباس pic.twitter.com/rjgAxLjLHY— خبرني – khaberni (@khaberni) July 24, 2024
Meanwhile, overnight, the IDF said it demolished the home of Muhammad Manasra, a Palestinian terrorist who carried out a deadly shooting attack at a gas station near the West Bank settlement of Eli, killing two Israelis.
In the attack on February 29, Manasra shot dead Rabbi Yitzhak Zeiger, 57, and Uria Hartum, 16, before being killed by the owner of a nearby hummus restaurant.
The IDF said troops operated in the West Bank village of Qalandiya overnight to demolish the home.
Amid the operation, troops clashed with rioters in the area. The IDF said the soldiers used riot dispersal means and live fire.
Several suspects were arrested in Qalandiya, it added.
As a matter of policy, Israel demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out deadly terror attacks.
Also overnight, five Palestinian terror suspects were detained near the West Bank city of Tulkarem, including two who were suspected of carrying out a bomb attack near the settlement of Hermesh last week, police said.
Members of the police’s Yamam counter-terrorism unit and the Shin Bet security agency operated in the town of Seida to detain two suspects believed to be behind the attack near Hermesh on July 18, in which four Israelis were wounded.
Police said that one of the suspects behind the attack was shot by the officers amid clashes in Seida.
Another three suspects were detained amid the operation, police added.
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, 589 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.
