Israel says Huwara terrorist killed, alongside 5 others, as IDF raids Jenin
Israeli forces raided the West Bank city of Jenin in a rare daytime operation Tuesday, engaging in a deadly exchange of fire with Palestinian gunmen as they reportedly sought the alleged terrorist behind a deadly shooting attack in the West Bank town of Huwara last week.
Palestinian health officials said at least six people were killed in the fighting, and another 10 injured, two seriously.
Hebrew-language media reports, without citing sources, said the army believed the Huwara terror suspect may have been among those who died.
The military did not immediately provide details, nor did it confirm that the killer of Israeli brothers Hallel and Yagel Yaniv was the target of the operation.
Troops also raided Nablus, arresting several people, without any reports of major resistance. Hebrew media reports indicated the two sons of the Huwara killer were among those nabbed.
Soldiers from the Israel Defense Forces and Border Police took part in the operation, entering Jenin and laying siege to a house where suspects had apparently holed up.
A local wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad said its members opened fire and hurled explosives at the Israeli force in Jenin. Reports said Israeli forces fired shoulder-mounted missiles at a house, likely in an attempt to force those inside to exit.
Palestinian reports also claimed gunmen managed to bring down a small Israeli drone during the raid. There was no immediate comment from the army.
Hallel Yaniv, 21, and Yagel Yaniv, 19, were shot and killed as they drove through the West Bank Palestinian town of Huwara on February 26. Israeli forces have been engaged in a manhunt for the killer ever since.
Following the pair’s death, a group of radical settlers rampaged through Huwara, burning homes and vehicles. A Palestinian man was killed and multiple people were injured in violence that shocked many in Israel and abroad, with some terming the incident a “pogrom.”
تغطية صحفية: “جانب من اقتحام قوات الاحتلال الخاصة مخيم جنين”. pic.twitter.com/ZAcM8o33oi
— فلسطين بوست (@plespost) March 7, 2023
There have been several recent raids in northern West Bank cities that have resulted in high Palestinian death tolls, making the last several months among the deadliest the area has seen in decades. While many of those killed have been fighters, civilians have also been caught in the crossfire.
Jenin is widely seen as a hotbed of terrorist activity and has been the focus of a year-long Israeli counter-terror operation.
In January, nine Palestinians were killed, mostly gunmen but including an elderly woman, and several were wounded during fierce clashes between Israeli troops and gunmen in the city. The IDF said troops entered the Jenin refugee camp to foil imminent attack plans by a local wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group.