IDF says 3 gunmen killed in airstrike, clashes during day-long West Bank raid
UNRWA accuses IDF of damaging its office in Nur Shams during operation, military denies responsibility, says terrorists had planted explosives nearby
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The Israel Defense Forces said it had wrapped up a day-long raid in the West Bank’s Nur Shams camp near Tulkarem on Friday, during which three gunmen were killed in an airstrike and clashes with troops.
The operation was carried out by the Kfir Brigade’s Haruv reconnaissance unit alongside Border Police and Shin Bet forces.
Amid the raid, Israeli forces carried out a drone strike against two gunmen who were firing at the troops, the IDF said. It published footage of the incident.
Also amid the operation, Haruv soldiers killed another operative who “posed a threat,” the IDF said, adding that the unit also wounded several other gunmen.
The operation also saw Border Police officers neutralize several explosive devices planted under and along roads in Nur Shams.
The IDF also published drone footage of gunmen operating at the entrance to a hospital in Tulkarem. In the video, one gunman can be seen handing over an assault rifle to another at the medical center compound.
Amid the raid on Thursday, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini claimed that IDF bulldozers had severely damaged the UN aid agency’s office in Nur Shams, rendering it unusable.
The IDF, however, issued a statement denying responsibility for any damage sustained to the building.
“The claim that the UNRWA offices in Nur Shams were destroyed by IDF soldiers is false,” the statement read. “Terrorists planted explosives in the proximity of the UNRWA offices that were then detonated in an attempt to harm IDF soldiers. The explosives likely caused damage to the structure.”
The raid in Nur Shams was launched shortly after troops operating in the West Bank city of Tulkarem killed prominent Hamas member Hussam al-Malah.
In a joint statement, the IDF, Israel Police and the Shin Bet said that al-Malah was involved in planning imminent terror attacks with Islam Odeh and Zahi Oufi, two Hamas operatives killed by Israel in separate incidents in recent weeks.
The three, along with other members of a Hamas network in Tulkarem, were allegedly planning a major terror attack on the October 7 anniversary.
The military said that after Odeh and Oufi were killed, al-Malah continued to lead the Hamas network and worked to plan imminent attacks in recent days.
استشهاد القيادي في كتائب القسام حسام ملاح برصاص قوة خاصة من جيش لاحتلال في مخيم طولكرم pic.twitter.com/9bhZjMBIov
— Newpress | نيو برس (@NewpressPs) October 30, 2024
Since October 7, troops have arrested some 5,250 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 2,050 affiliated with Hamas.
According to the Palestinian Authority health ministry, more than 716 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, 41 people, including Israeli security personnel, have been killed in terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank. Another six members of the security forces were killed in clashes with terror operatives in the West Bank.
The IDF has carried out more than 70 airstrikes in the West Bank since October 7, using drones, attack helicopters, and fighter jets.
Agencies contributed to this report.
