Nine Palestinian gunmen killed during two-day raid in Jenin area, IDF says
Three gunmen die in airstrike, others during gun battles, with no injuries to Israeli forces; troops find and destroy bomb-making labs and improvised explosives
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The Israel Defense Forces said Thursday it was pulling out of the West Bank city of Jenin following a two-day operation in which nine terror suspects were killed by troops and several more arrested.
The 48-hour raid, which involved soldiers, Border Police officers, and members of the Shin Bet security service, was part of ongoing efforts against terror activities in the northern West Bank, the army said.
Three of the slain Palestinians, who were armed at the time, were killed in an airstrike, an increasingly common tactic used by the IDF in the northern West Bank, while the other six died during gun battles with troops, the army said.
There were no injuries to Israeli forces.
According to the army, the three Palestinians killed in the airstrike were suspected of taking part in previous attacks on Israeli troops or towns. Following the airstrike, secondary explosions testified to the presence of weapons stored at the site, the IDF said.
Some of the other six Palestinians were also involved in recent attacks on soldiers, according to the army.
During the operation, four workshops used to prepare improvised explosive devices were destroyed along with dozens of bombs concealed beneath access routes that had been laid with the purpose of targeting security forces, the statement said. Forces also seized dozens of weapons.
An unspecified number of suspects were detained and handed over to the Shin Bet for interrogation.
The army had earlier this week confirmed killing three of the Palestinians during a raid in a town near Jenin, identifying them as members of the Islamic Jihad terror group.
Border Police troops had entered the town of Qabatiya south of Jenin to arrest Raed Hanaysha, 24, a former terror convict suspected of being involved in shooting and bombing attacks against soldiers in the West Bank that did not cause casualties, according to a joint statement from the IDF, Israel Police, and Shin Bet on Tuesday.
While attempting to arrest Hanaysha, troops were fired on by two other gunmen, and killed them and Hanaysha. Islamic Jihad confirmed that the three had been members of the terror group.
Since October 7, 2023, when the Hamas terror group attacked Israel, starting the ongoing war in Gaza, 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 killed while carrying out attacks.
تزُف سرايا القدس الجناح العسكري لحركة الجهاد الإسلامي في فلسطين
-الشهيد المجاهد أنور نضال توفيق سباعنة (25 عاماً).
-الشهيد المجاهد رائد عبد الرحمن صادق حنايشة (24 عاماً).
-الشهيد المجاهد سليمان عدنان سليمان طزازعة (32 عاماً).من أبطال سرايا القدس-كتيبة جنين مجموعات قباطية. pic.twitter.com/qicjSnYTBp
— Asrawi (@Asrawithethird) November 19, 2024
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.
Since October 7, 2023, the IDF has carried out more than 70 airstrikes in the West Bank, using drones, attack helicopters, and fighter jets.
