9 Palestinians reported killed as IDF launches large-scale counter-terror raids in Judea, Samaria based on intel from attempted Tel Aviv bombing
Foreign Minister Katz demands Israel treat West Bank terror 'just as we deal with terror in Gaza'
Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday morning announced the start of a large-scale counter-terror operation focusing on the towns of Jenin and Tulkarem but including several other locations.
Army Radio reported that the raids are expected to last several days and will be on a scale not seen in Judea and Samaria (West Bank) since 2022's Operation Defensive Shield, during which the IDF reoccupied several towns in the area. The IDF gave the counter-terror operation the name "Operation Summer Camps" referring to the so-called refugee camps in Jenin and Tulkarem which have been the sites of repeated terror incitement and activity.
The IDF also said the raid is a response to the unsuccessful Tel Aviv terror attack earlier this month and was based on intelligence connected to that incident.
On Wednesday morning, the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Health Ministry announced that at least nine people were killed in IDF operations throughout Judea and Samaria overnight. The Palestinian Red Crescent (comparable to the Red Cross) initially reported 10 deaths.
The terrorists were eliminated during two Israeli airstrikes, according to Army Radio. One targeted a vehicle south of Jenin and eliminated four terrorists, including Hamas members. The second strike hit a squad of terrorists shooting at Israeli soldiers, killing two.
Walla news reported two terrorists were killed by IDF fire in the Al-Far'a refugee camp in the city of Tubas.
Jenin Governor Kamal Abu al-Rub, announced on Palestinian radio that Israeli forces were surrounding the city of Jenin, blocking traffic from entering or leaving, and restricting access to hospitals.
He also said the IDF was digging up infrastructure in the Jenin camp. Israeli forces often use heavy bulldozers to dig up sections of roads believed to contain IEDs.
The IDF announced the operation, focused primarily on Jenin early Wednesday morning, stating: “The security forces have now begun an operation to counter terrorism in Jenin and Tulkarm in the Menasheh region.”
In addition, overnight raids took place in the Nur a-Shams camp near Tulkarem, the al-Farah refugee camp in the north of the Jordan Valley, the town of Tubas, the city of Nablus, and two smaller towns near Jenin, according to Army Radio.
Israeli news site N12 cited Palestinian reports claiming that IDF soldiers were also raiding Ibn Sinai Hospital in Jenin.
In response to the announcement of the large-scale operation, Foreign Minister Israel Katz called for Israel to handle terror in the Palestinian Territories exactly how it does in Gaza, including “temporary evacuation of Palestinian civilians.”
“We must deal with the threat just as we deal with the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza, including the temporary evacuation of Palestinian residents and whatever steps are required,” Katz wrote on 𝕏.
“This is a war for everything and we must win it.”
Katz also blamed the Iranian regime for the high level of terror activity in Judea and Samaria, saying the Islamic Republic is trying to start a new front.
“The IDF is working intensively from tonight in the Jenin and Tulkarm refugee camps to thwart Islamic-Iranian terrorist infrastructures that have been established there. Iran is working to establish an eastern terrorist front against Israel in the West Bank, according to the Gaza and Lebanon model, by financing and arming terrorists and smuggling advanced weapons from Jordan.”
On Wednesday morning, the IDF confirmed that five terrorists were eliminated on Monday in an airstrike targeting an operations room in the Nur al-Shams camp.
בפעילות משותפת של צה"ל ושב"כ, כלי טיס של חיל האוויר תקף וחיסל שלשום, חמישה מחבלים שפעלו בחדר מבצעים במרחב נור א-שמס שבחטיבת מנשה. המתחם שימש את המחבלים לניהול פעילות הטרור במרחב ולפגיעה בכוחותינו הפועלים בשטח>> pic.twitter.com/ae799t3a4S
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) August 28, 2024
In a joint operation with the IDF and security forces from Shin Bet, an Israeli aircraft struck and killed the five terrorists in the operations room in Nur a-Shams which was used by the terrorists to plan and manage terror activity in the area.
Among the terrorists eliminated were Jibril Ghassan Ismail Jibril, who was operating in the Tulkarem and Qalqilya areas.
Jibril had been released from an Israeli prison as part of the hostage deal in November 2023.
In addition, the IDF eliminated Mahand Karaoui, Adnan Jabern and Mohammad Yosef, who were involved in terror activity in the Noor al-Shams area.
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The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
