Two teenage Palestinians died overnight Tuesday after an explosive device they had prepared accidentally blew up in the Balata refugee camp in Nablus. Another Palestinian was seriously injured in the incident. The young men who were killed are Alaa Mehdi Alfalah and Jamal Hussein Hashash.
The charge was detonated in a makeshift home weapons lab. According to reports that reached the IDF, the three Palestinian casualties were the ones who prepared the bomb before it exploded. Palestinian reports from the refugee camp said that the two dead were friends of the militant groups who used to inform them when Israeli forces entered the city’s limits.
These two teens (Mohammed Hashash + Alaa Hafnawi) died today in Balata after an IED they were preparing accidentally detonated. But you won’t hear a word from “human rights champs” about Palestinians using children to prepare explosives.@amnesty @hrw @TWennesland @FranceskAlbs pic.twitter.com/eGmHu5maS3
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) June 21, 2023
The incident happened after the Tuesday afternoon attack in which four people were murdered near the Israeli community of Eli. They were shot dead by two terrorists in a restaurant and gas station near the entrance to the community. One of the terrorists was killed on the scene by a civilian, and about two hours later the hunt for the escaped terrorist ended with him being shot dead as well.
— Local Focus - Security Alerts (@LocalFocus1) June 20, 2023
The news of the accident in Nablus also comes after earlier this week, eight Israel Defense Forces soldiers were injured during an arrest operation that became complicated in Jenin after an IDF "Panther" armored vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED) that was placed by the vehicle's axle and exploded underneath it. Before the incident, the forces arrested two wanted terrorists, a Hamas operative and a wanted one from the Islamic Jihad; and when the forces left the vehicle was hit by the IED and the operation became complicated. In addition to the soldiers, a dog from the K-9 unit that was in the same vehicle was also injured in the operation. The forces worked to rescue the vehicles that were damaged under fire when two of them were completely disabled.
In Nablus' steadfast Balata camp, Mohammed Jamal Hashash and Alaa Hafnawi (17 and 18) have ascended to martyrdom following the accidental detonation of an explosive device that they were preparing. One other resistance fighter is injured.
— IsfahanMusa (@Isfahanmusa2) June 21, 2023
Glory to our martyrs. pic.twitter.com/7v9hLqu3gC
The incident took place in the background of the IDF's attempt to deal with the "IED terrorism" that is developing in the region in a variety of ways. The Israeli security establishment is concerned about the incident. The IDF is checking whether the activity was an "IED ambush", in which the terrorists knew the exit route of the forces or estimated it. They planted significant charges there, which managed to hit armored vehicles. Following the worsening of the placement of charges in recent weeks, the IDF is expected to add additional layers of protection to the "Panthers" and the other vehicles operating in Area A according to the Oslo Accords.
