IDF says it killed 2 West Bank gunmen who were planning to fire at Israeli towns
In crackdown, troops ambush terror suspects near Tulkarem, seize rifle they brought to use in attack; armed Palestinian suspect killed in earlier Nablus op
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The Israel Defense Forces said troops had killed two terror suspects early Tuesday near the West Bank city of Tulkarem as they were headed to open fire at Israeli towns across the security barrier, following several recent shooting attacks.
According to an IDF statement, troops of the 636th Combat Intelligence Collection Unit ambushed the armed suspects as they approached the barrier, killing them and confiscating the assault rifle they allegedly planned to use.
Earlier, on Monday, the Israel Police said undercover Border Police officers had killed a wanted Palestinian in the West Bank city of Nablus.
The Tulkarem ambush came amid a spate of shooting incidents in the area. Last week, operatives of the Palestinian terror group Hamas posted to social media a video of themselves near Tulkarem firing across the barrier at the Israeli town of Bat Hefer.
No one was hurt, but the bullets caused some damage, the Israel Defense Forces said at the time, adding that “forces are working to locate the terrorists.”
It was the third time in less than two weeks that shots had been fired at Bat Hefer, a town of about 5,000 people that sits just west of the so-called Green Line separating Israel from the West Bank.
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Last week’s shooting was the latest chapter in what residents say has been an ongoing threat, particularly since October 7, when Hamas forces crossed into southern Israel from Gaza, killing some 1,200 people, taking 251 hostages and initiating the ongoing war in the Strip.
There have also been similar shooting incidents at Kibbutz Meirav, a religious community of less than a thousand, from the West Bank city of Jenin.
In Monday’s Nablus raid, officers and IDF troops entered the Balata camp adjacent to the West Bank city to detain a wanted Palestinian. Police said the suspect spotted the troops and attempted to flee the area armed with a handgun. The Border Police officers then shot him dead.
Several more gunmen and rioters hurling explosives were shot by troops in the area, police added.
Nablus also saw clashes on Sunday when a group of Jewish pilgrims ventured into the West Bank city in an attempt to reach Joseph’s Tomb without coordinating with the military, which then needed to send forces in to rescue them.
The IDF said the incident occurred as it was about to carry out an authorized escorted visit of Jewish pilgrims to the shrine.
According to the Kan public broadcaster, one of the pilgrims was wounded and hid out in Nablus overnight before being rescued by Palestinian Authority police, who then handed him over to Israeli authorities.
As a result of the incident, the planned escorted visit was canceled.
The IDF bars Israeli citizens from entering Palestinian cities without prior authorization and protection, and some criticize the monthly incursions as an unnecessary provocation that places Israeli soldiers at risk.
The Nablus clash came a few days after two IDF soldiers were killed in a car-ramming attack at one of the entrances to Nablus.
