Special forces of the Israel Defense Forces raided a Nablus apartment building and killed the two terrorists who callously murdered mother Lucy and her daughters Maia and Rina of the Dee family in an attack at Hamra Junction in the Jordan Valley over Passover. The Israeli forces included undercover officers who disguised themselves as women and entered the old city of Nablus Thursday morning. During the exchange of fire that ensued they killed at least three terrorists, including the two murderers and another armed man who was shooting towards them.
Hassan Katnani and Ma'ad Masri, Hamas operatives, are the two who took part in the shooting attack on the Dee family. In a statement issued by the IDF and the Israeli Federal security agency, Shin Bet, it was said that since the terrorist attack, a significant intelligence and operational effort had begun which led to the location of the safe house in Nablus. Following targeted intelligence information from the Shin Bet, in the early morning hours of Thursday, the Shin Bet and IDF raided the apartment and in the exchange of fire the two killers were killed.
During the operation, a senior operative who aided the 2 terrorists was neutralized.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 4, 2023
Together, Israeli forces will continue thwarting all direct threats of terrorism toward Israeli civilians. 2/2
Aside from Katnani and Masri, Ibrahim Hora, who helped them, was also eliminated. M16 rifles and a Kalashnikov were found in their apartment. It should be noted that while the Shin Bet assumed the terrorists would not surrender, the goal of the operation was not to kill them, but rather arrest them and allow the Israeli court system to judge their actions.
The operation began around 7 AM, after significant intelligence preparation led by the Shin Bet. Troops from the IDF’s Egoz unit and the 50th battalion surrounded the compound and isolated it. Thanks to the troops' fire being accurate, only two local residents were injured by smoke grenades without any other casualties.
The two terrorists, Al-Hassan and Al-Moaz are believed to have murdered the Dee’s. Mourning posters and images glorifying their deeds are already sprouting up. pic.twitter.com/I8zAMtWthV
— Jay Engelmayer (@jengelmayer) May 4, 2023
A senior military official at the IDF’s Central Command commented on the operation in Nablus and said that "The hunt was completed after the intelligence and operational conditions had matured. The IDF and Shin Bet forces acted in a ruse on the target itself. We used additional measures with the exchange of fire alongside disturbances in the area. It is important to thwart these terrorists quickly so as not to inspire more attacks."
The IDF official admitted that "We are in a challenging period with shooting incidents throughout the last two weeks. We are in a unique situation in Judea and Samaria mainly in the city of Nablus, and therefore this sector is still being reinforced with additional battalions." In addition, he clarified for would-be terrorists, and in a message to the terror group leaders: "There are no "safe homes" in Judea and Samaria, not in Jenin nor Nablus."
