Palestinian killed in clashes with IDF in West Bank; son of PIJ leader arrested
PA health officials say six others hurt in Dheisheh refugee camp; in Jenin, military says troops arrest Yahya Saadi, son of Bassem Saadi, suspected of involvement in terror
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
A Palestinian man was killed amid clashes with Israeli troops in the southern West Bank early Monday, Palestinian health officials said, as the military said it arrested the son of a senior terror official in the city of Jenin.
According to the Palestinian Authority Health Ministry, 22-year-old Omar Manna was shot dead and six others were hurt by Israeli troops’ gunfire in the Dheisheh refugee camp, south of Bethlehem.
The Israel Defense Forces said clashes had erupted during the arrest of three suspected members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terror group in the camp.
“During the operation, suspects threw stones, Molotov cocktails, and explosives at the troops, who responded by shooting,” the IDF said, adding that “hits were identified.”
Meanwhile, in Jenin, the IDF said it arrested Yahya Saadi, the son of Bassem Saadi, the currently detained leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group in the West Bank.
The IDF said Yahya Saadi was himself a senior PIJ member, suspected of involvement in various terror activities.
مصادر صحفية| شـ ـ ـهيد مخيم الدهيشة في بيت لحم الشاب عمر مناع، الذي ارتقى برصاص الاحتلال برصاصة في الصدى pic.twitter.com/jmtzQDo1WK
— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) December 5, 2022
The arrest of Bassem Saadi in August sparked a round of fighting between Israel and the terror group in the Gaza Strip. He has since been indicted on various terror charges.
On Saturday night, a rocket was launched from Gaza at southern Israel, apparently over the deaths of two PIJ members who were killed Thursday during a military raid in the West Bank.
Over the past year, the PIJ has launched rockets at Israel in response to members being killed or arrested in the West Bank.
???? #صورة| الشاب يحيى السعدي نجل القيادي في حركة الجهاد الإسلامي الشيخ بسام السعدي، الذي اعتقله الاحتلال من مخيم جنين قبل قليل pic.twitter.com/1laUPpc42c
— الرسالة للإعلام (@Alresalahpress) December 5, 2022
The IDF said troops also shot at gunmen who had opened fire on them during an operation in the adjacent Jenin refugee camp.
No soldiers were hurt during the overnight raids. In all, 14 wanted Palestinians, including Saadi, were arrested early Monday across the West Bank, the military said.
Tensions have been high in the West Bank over the past year, with the IDF launching a major anti-terror offensive mostly focused on the northern West Bank to deal with a series of Palestinian attacks that have left 31 people in Israel and the West Bank dead since the start of the year.
The operation has netted more than 2,500 arrests in near-nightly raids, but has also left more than 150 Palestinians dead, many of them — but not all — while carrying out attacks or during clashes with security forces.
