3 Islamic Jihad Terrorists Eliminated During Firefight With IDF Undercover Forces Near Jenin

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Three Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists were eliminated by Israeli undercover forces operating near Jenin on Thursday morning.

According to a Border Police spokesman, the undercover officers entered the Palestinian village of Jaba’, south of Jenin, to arrest two suspects wanted for a series of shooting attacks against Israeli forces in the area and the nearby Israeli outpost of Homesh.

During the raid, the suspects and another terrorist opened fire from a passing vehicle at the troops, who returned fire, killing them, the spokesman said.

Police named Ahmed Fashafsha, 22, and Sufyan Fakhoury, 26, as the wanted Islamic Jihad terrorists, and Nayef Malaysha, 25, as the third terrorist, adding that he had been released from an Israeli prison last month. The terrorists were apparently on their way to performing an attack when they were intercepted by the IDF forces.

The soldiers confiscated a number of the weapons and explosives which the terrorists had been carrying in their car.

A local wing of the Islamic Jihad in Jaba’ confirmed its members had opened fire on Israeli forces.

The terrorist group also claimed to have downed an Israeli surveillance drone over the town. The IDF confirmed that a drone had crashed during the operation and added that the crash was being investigated.

During another arrest operation on Tuesday morning in Jenin, Israeli soldiers and special police units eliminated six terrorists including the murderer of Hallel Menachem and Yagel Yaakov Yaniv HyD, who were shot dead in Hawara ten days earlier. Two IDF soldiers were lightly injured in the operation

In other arrest raids early Thursday, the IDF said troops detained 15 wanted terrorists in the Samaria region, with violent incidents in some areas.

The IDF said troops returned fire at terrorists in the village of Silat al-Harithiya while arresting a wanted man.

No soldiers were hurt amid the overnight raids.