IDF soldiers arrest 17 wanted Palestinians, seize guns in overnight West Bank raids
Special forces come under ‘massive’ fire in Jenin during arrest of three terror suspects; hunting rifle and makeshift submachine gun confiscated in Jordan Valley village
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Israeli troops operated extensively throughout the West Bank in the predawn hours of Monday morning, arresting 17 wanted Palestinians and seizing several firearms, the Israel Defense Forces said.
In the Jalazone refugee camp, north of Ramallah, troops detained four Palestinians over suspected involvement in terror activities and weapons were confiscated at the scene, the IDF said.
At the same time, IDF special forces from the Golani brigade with police commandos operated in the northern West Bank city of Jenin to arrest three wanted Palestinians. The IDF said troops came under “massive fire” from a passing vehicle during the operation, with no injuries caused.
The military said another three terror suspects were arrested in the Dheisha refugee camp near Bethlehem, and one man in the Jordan Valley village of an-Nassariya, among other suspects across the West Bank.
A hunting rifle and a makeshift “Carlo” submachine gun were seized from the suspect in an-Nassariya.
Israeli security forces have stepped up their operations in the West Bank following a deadly wave of terror attacks that left 19 people dead between mid-March and the beginning of May. The raids have concentrated on the increasingly unstable Jenin area, from where several of the attackers hailed.
At least 30 Palestinians were killed over the same period, according to the Palestinian Authority Health Ministry. Some were shot by Israeli soldiers while committing terror attacks, while others were engaged in violent gunfights with soldiers, and still others were unarmed bystanders.