IDF eliminates gunmen behind deadly West Bank terror attack in major Jenin raid
Israeli forces, on Wednesday near Jenin, night killed two Palestinian gunmen who were involved in a terror attack earlier this month that left three Israelis dead, the IDF and Shin Bet security service confirmed Thursday.
The gunmen, identified as Qutaiba al-Shalabi and Mohammed Nazal, were killed during a counter terrorism operation in the Wadi Burqin area of Jenin.
Hamas claimed responsibility for the January 6 shooting attack in the village of al-Funduq, which claimed the lives of off-duty police officer Master Sgt. Elad Yaakov Winkelstein, 35, and civilians Rachel Cohen, 73, and Aliza Raiz, 70.
The operation, part of a large-scale raid in the Jenin refugee camp, involved IDF Duvdevan commandos, Shin Bet agents, and other forces.
Troops used a “pressure cooker” tactic, escalating fire on a building where the suspects were barricaded. After a four-hour gunfight, the two gunmen were killed. One IDF soldier sustained moderate injuries.
Hamas claimed the gunmen as members but the IDF and Shin Bet said they were affiliated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Several accomplices were also detained, while investigators sought to confirm the involvement of a third suspect in the al-Funduq attack.
The raid is part of “Operation Iron Wall,” which aims to dismantle the so-called Jenin Battalion, a coalition of terror operatives from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The campaign, the third major IDF incursion into Jenin in two years, has seen hundreds of troops supported by drones, helicopters, and armored vehicles.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated that lessons learned from the recent Gaza war were being applied in Jenin, noting the growing threat posed by Iranian-backed groups in the West Bank.
“We will not allow the arms of the Iranian regime and radical Sunni Islam to establish a terrorist front east of Israel,” he said.
So far, 13 Palestinian gunmen have been killed in the operation, according to IDF reports. Residents of the crowded refugee camp have reported constant gunfire and explosions, with 2,000 Palestinians reportedly displaced from their homes.
The operation comes as tensions remain high across the West Bank. Israel has implemented additional roadblocks and checkpoints during the Gaza ceasefire, leading to significant delays for Palestinian residents and fears of unrest.
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