Israeli security forces were operating overnight Monday-Tuesday near the West Bank city of Jenin to demolish the home of a Palestinian terrorist who killed three Israelis in a shooting attack in Tel Aviv in April, according to Hebrew-language media reports.
Earlier, one outlet said there was an exchange of gunfire between troops and Palestinian gunmen but this was not confirmed.
Public broadcaster Kan posted a short video sourced from Palestinian media that showed a number of military vehicles traveling drown a street at medium speed.
According to the reports, Israeli troops were executing a demolition order, issued by the military in Mayon the Jenin apartment of the terrorist.
Ra’ad Hazem, a resident of the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank, opened fire at a Tel Aviv bar on April 7, killing Tomer Morad and Eytam Magini, two friends both aged 27, and Barak Lufan, a 35-year-old father of three. Hazem went on the run following the murders and was found hiding near a mosque in Jaffa after an hours-long manhunt involving hundreds of security officers.
While initially raising his hands in surrender, he reportedly then drew a gun and opened fire on the officers, who fired back and killed him.
The three victims of a terror attack in Tel Aviv on April 7, 2022. From left: Tomer Morad, Eytam Magini, and Barak Lufan. (Courtesy)
As a punitive policy, Israel regularly demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out deadly terror attacks. Israel defends the contentious practice of razing the family homes of attackers as a deterrent against future assaults, and officials have argued that speed is essential, claiming that the deterrent factor degrades over time.
Over the years, however, a number of Israeli defense officials have questioned the efficacy of the practice, and human rights activists have denounced it as unfair collective punishment.
A banner celebrating Ra’ad Hazem, a 28-year-old from the Jenin camp after he carried out a terror attack on a bar in central Tel Aviv, in the West Bank refugee camp of Jenin, April 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Overnight Sunday-Monday, a Palestinian gunman was killed in an exchange of fire with Israeli security forces during a West Bank arrest operation in and around Jenin.
The clash came as security forces continued intensive arrest operations in the northern West Bank as well as a hunt for a gunman who participated in Sunday’s shooting attack on a bus full of Israeli soldiers.
Seven people were wounded when three Palestinians opened fire at a bus carrying soldiers on Sunday, including the civilian driver who was seriously injured. Six troops were left with non-life-threatening injuries. Two of the gunmen were captured and a third escaped. Searches Monday were focused on the area of Tubas, east of Nablus.
Members of the Israeli security forces and emergency services inspect the site of a shooting attack on a bus transporting soldiers in the Jordan Valley, on September 4, 2022. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)
Security forces arrested 17 suspects across the West Bank overnight Sunday, the IDF said.
In Jenin and the town of Qabatiya, five terror suspects were arrested. During the arrest operation, gunmen opened fire at security forces, who shot back.
Palestinian media identified the gunman who was killed as Taher Zakarna, 19.
Images circulated online showed Zakarna wearing a headband bearing the logo of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, although the terror group did not immediately claim him as a member.
The army said there were no injuries to Israeli forces amid the gun battle.
A prisoner in the prisons of the occupation, then a fighter in the Jenin Brigade of the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement, and then a martyr with the blood of heroism and redemption.
The happy hero martyr Taher Zakarna, who rose in the town of Qabatiya in Jenin, this morning. pic.twitter.com/0mII1XReNr
— Saleh Abu Azza (@salehabuizzah) September 5, 2022
During the raids security forces also confiscated weapons, weapons parts, ammunition and funds.
On Sunday night, four IDF soldiers were hurt when Palestinians opened fire at a military post in the central West Bank, the military said.
The four soldiers were listed in good condition and treated at the scene, the IDF said. The Rescuers Without Borders emergency service said one was taken for further medical treatment at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan after sustaining injuries from shrapnel.
The military launched a manhunt for the suspects who fled the scene. According to Palestinian media reports, the army closed the main entrance to Nabi Saleh, a frequent flashpoint between soldiers and Palestinians.
The incidents came amid rising violence in the West Bank. On Friday, a soldier was stabbed in Hebron, and there have been numerous stone-throwing attacks on Israeli civilians driving in the West Bank in recent days.
Shortly before midnight Sunday, a 39-year-old man was brought to a Jerusalem hospital with light injuries to his upper body after being pelted with rocks while driving on Route 60 north of Jerusalem, a spokesperson for the Magen David Adom rescue service said.
“We are in a very complex period here, which is not over yet,” a senior IDF officer told reporters Sunday.
A deadly wave of terror attacks earlier this year left 19 people dead, though tensions had appeared to calm before the latest flareup.
