IDF, Shin Bet confirm death in Gaza strike of Palestinian infamous for lynching of two Israeli soldiers in 2000

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

Palestinian Aziz Salha seen at a window showing off his blood-stained hands as a mob beat to death two Israeli soldiers in Ramallah, October 2000. (YouTube screenshot)
Palestinian Aziz Salha seen at a window showing off his blood-stained hands as a mob beat to death two Israeli soldiers in Ramallah, October 2000. (YouTube screenshot)

The IDF and Shin Bet confirm carrying out an airstrike in the Gaza Strip overnight, killing Aziz Salha, a Palestinian infamous for his role in the lynching of two Israeli soldiers in Ramallah in 2000.

The military says Salha, 43, was targeted in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah.

Soldiers Sgt. First Class (res.) Yosef Avrahami and Cpl. (Res.) Vadim Norzhic were killed in October 2000 after they took a wrong turn and ended up in the Palestinian Authority-controlled city of Ramallah in the West Bank.

Salha is known for an image in which he is seen proudly displaying his blood-soaked hands to a mob following the lynching of the two reserve soldiers.

He was detained by Israel in 2001 and eventually exiled to Gaza in a 2011 deal in which Israel exchanged 1,027 terror convicts for captive soldier Gilad Shalit.

The IDF and Shin Bet say that Salha had been involved in advancing terror attacks in the West Bank from Gaza in recent years.

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