Police say 2 Islamic Jihad members killed in West Bank raid, one was planning attack
Israel Police says suspects in Qalqilya shot at elite troops attempting to arrest them, before officers returned fire
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Police said Friday that two wanted Palestinians, members of the Islamic Jihad terror group, were killed by officers in the West Bank city of Qalqilya.
In a statement, police said that one of the wanted Islamic Jihad members was planning to carry out an attack in the area.
Police said officers from the elite Gideonim unit attempted to arrest the pair, when they shot at the troops.
The officers returned fire, killing the terror operatives, the statement said.
“Handguns were found on the two terrorists,” the statement said.
Islamic Jihad did not immediately claim the two men as members.
רכב המחבלים סופג ירי ומאבד שליטה, הכוחות מסתערים עליו: תיעוד – כך נראו רגעי חיסול המבוקשים בקלקיליה
@Doron_Kadosh pic.twitter.com/z62qSsTNdN— גלצ (@GLZRadio) June 21, 2024
Graphic footage from the scene showed troops dragging the body of a Palestinian out of a vehicle that had been shot at and apparently crashed.
Since October 7, troops have arrested some 4,150 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 1,750 affiliated with Hamas.
According to the Palestinian Authority health ministry, more than 540 West Bank Palestinians have been killed in that time.
During the same period, 20 Israelis, including security personnel, have been killed in Palestinian terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank. Another three members of the security forces were killed in clashes with terror operatives in the West Bank.
