Israeli security forces raid terror cell near Jericho, 5 terrorists killed in shootout
A joint operation between Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Security Agency, Shin Bet, on Monday morning ended with 5 terrorists killed.
The goal of the operation was to apprehend terrorists from the Almog junction shooting, which took place on Jan. 28.
The IDF identified the five terrorists as members of a Hamas terror cell and confirmed that two of them were responsible for the Almog attack.
According to an IDF statement, Israeli forces came under fire by militants after entering the Aqabat Jaber Refugee Camp. Soldiers returned fire, killing the assailants.
A previous attempt to arrest the suspects over the weekend was unsuccessful after the suspects fled the area, while local mosques encouraged people to come and resist the Israeli soldiers carrying out the raid.
Shortly after the arrest on Saturday, members of the Aqabat Jaber battalion of the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigade, a Hamas terror group, announced three “days of rage," calling on residents to “pour out their anger against the occupation.” The group also called on the youth of the Aqabat Jaber camp to burn tires in protest.
Today, following the raids and the deaths of the Hamas terrorists, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas issued statements vowing to continue the struggle.
"All international or regional interventions will not succeed in stopping the revolutionary tide of our people, and the enemy will not enjoy calm,” said Hamas head Ismail Haniyeh.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
