Israeli forces killed three Palestinian militants during an arrest operation in Tulkarem, Northern Samaria, on Wednesday, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
The three Islamic Jihad fighters, identified as Mohammad Youssef Nasrallah (27), Ayman Ahmad Mubarak (26), and Hossam Imad Dabas (22), were killed after engaging in a firefight with the Israeli military, which had entered Tulkarem to make arrests.
Simultaneously, Israeli operations were conducted in other cities across Judea and Samaria, including Qalqilya, where money-changing shops suspected of funneling cash to militant groups were raided. Four militants were shot by the Israeli squad during these operations.
IDF operational activity reported in several cities across the West Bank, including Tulkarem, Tubas, Ramallah, Qalqilya, Nablus, Bethlehem, and Jericho.
ā Aleph × (@no_itsmyturn) May 15, 2024
They are reportedly targeting currency exchange shops. pic.twitter.com/sMF2ayCddj
Since Hamas launched a brutal assault on Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, the number of militants killed in Judea and Samaria has risen to 502. Of these, 230 resulted from direct confrontations with Israeli forces, and over 20 were caused by Israeli civilians defending themselves after being attacked.
At least 4,950 Palestinians, many of them innocent civilians caught in the crossfire as militants engaged IDF vehicles, have been injured during this period, with an additional 8,000 being arrested.
Since 2022, due to the Palestinian Authority's (PA) reluctance to curb the growth of militant groups, many of whom despise the PA as much as Israel, the IDF has increased its operations in Judea and Samaria. This has led to a rise in militant deaths in the territory. The October 7 attacks and the PA's initial refusal to curb violence in their towns have forced Israeli forces to increase the frequency of operations after intelligence indicated multiple cells were preparing for mass-casualty events similar to the October 7 massacre.
IDF operational activity reported in several cities across the West Bank, including Tulkarem, Tubas, Ramallah, Qalqilya, Nablus, Bethlehem, and Jericho.
ā BREAKING NEWS - ALERTS (@IsraelNews23) May 15, 2024
They are reportedly targeting currency exchange shops.
Before October 7, 2023, 199 Palestinian militants, mostly from Islamic Jihad, but also from Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), were killed in Judea and Samaria. In 2022, 154 militants were killed in skirmishes with Israel.
The scale of the nightly raids across the area has prompted harsh international criticism. Palestinian media have framed these raids as random acts of violence, omitting that the militants killed were actively engaged in battle against Israeli forces.
