IDF raids Nablus in hunt for Henkin killers, arrests 8
Red Crescent says 14 people are injured as protesters clash with soldiers; Ma’an: Troops give suspect’s family notice of house demolition
Israel security forces carried out searches and arrests across the Nablus area of the West Bank in a pre-dawn operation Saturday, as the hunt continued for the killers of an Israeli couple on Thursday.
Eitam and Naama Henkin, both in their 30s, were shot dead Thursday night as they were driving in the West Bank with their four young children. The children were unhurt in the deadly terror attack.
Palestinian police said the troops “arrested eight people and conducted searches, entering properties by force and causing damage.”
According to the Palestinian news agency Ma’an, “heavily armed” troops carried out the operation, which Palestinian security forces said involved Israeli intelligence and more than 40 IDF vehicles.
Several people were wounded during the raids when local residents clashed with IDF soldiers, Ma’an said. One man was in serious condition after he was shot in the chest by live fire, the agency reported. At least four other people were hospitalized for their injuries while many others suffered from the effects of tear gas.
Palestinians protesting against the raid in Nablus hurled stones at soldiers, who responded with rubber bullets, tear gas and live ammunition, the Palestinian sources said.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said, “10 people were wounded by live rounds to the legs or stomach,” and “four others were wounded in beatings” by security forces.
Ma’an quoted Palestinian security forces as saying that the IDF raided the home of a man named Noud ad-Din Abu Hashya in the Askar refugee camp in Nablus. Hashya is believed to have been involved in the attack that killed the Henkins, Palestinian security sources told the agency.
According to the report, IDF troops gave Hashya’s family a notice for a demolition order on their home, which is expected to be carried out next week.
The detainees are all thought to be linked to Hamas, Ma’an said. Hamas praised the attack but did not claim responsibility. A Fatah group claimed to have carried out the killing.
The report said that the IDF had no immediate information about the operation.
AFP contributed to this report
