Live UpdateFrom the Liveblog of Monday, February 6, 2023

General praises mixed-gender battalion that killed 5 Hamas-linked terrorists

By Emanuel Fabian 6 February 2023, 5:59 pm 0 Edit

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent.

Soldiers of the Lions of the Valley battalion operate near in the Aqabat Jabr refugee camp, adjacent to Jericho, early February 6, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)

The chief of the military’s Central Command, Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fuchs, hails soldiers of the mixed-gender Lions of the Valley Battalion who killed five members of a Hamas-affiliated cell near Jericho this morning.

“The commanders and troops who led the battle are an example of professionalism and leadership,” Fuchs says in remarks provided by the IDF, after being briefed on the overnight raid in the Aqabat Jabr refugee camp.

“I appreciate every male and female soldier in the battalion. It is our responsibility to learn from this battle, to draw lessons for the battalion and the IDF, and to continue to improve in protecting the residents of the State of Israel,” he adds.

The raid targeted two gunmen who tried to attack a nearby restaurant last month. The pair, along with three other gunmen, were killed, and the IDF recovered numerous firearms.