Israel Defense Forces, along with special police units operated on Tuesday in the Jenin refugee camp following information from the Shin Bet regarding the terrorist who murdered the late Yaniv brothers in an attack in Huwara that triggered a violent riot by extremist Israelis in Samaria. The suspect, Abdel-Fattah Harusha was a 48-year-old Hamas operative from Nablus, he was killed during the operation along with six armed Palestinians who returned heavy fire trying to prevent Israeli forces from carrying out the arrest of Harusha. According to Palestinian Health Ministry sources, twenty-six Palestinians were wounded in the melee, although it is not known if some or all of the wounded were bystanders or participants in the attack on the Israeli forces.
Harusha had been released recently from an Israeli prison where he served eight months for conspiracy to commit a terror attack. At the same time, the security forces operated in the refugee camp in Nablus and arrested Harusha's two sons, Khaled and Mohammed, who are also suspected of being involved with him in planning and carrying out the attack. That mission went off without any resistance.
"Hamas terrorist Abdel Fattah Harusha who murdered Hillel and Yagel Yaniv ืืืดื z"l in the town of Huwara was killed by IDF forces in his hiding place in Jenin refugee camp. On his way to hell!" #PaleStinianTerrorism https://t.co/q8XM4Z2tRm
โ Eli Dror (@edrormba) March 7, 2023
The Harusha brothers were transferred to the Shin Bet for investigation. After the activity, Police Commissioner Chief Superintendent Ya'akov Shabtai instructed his forces to increase vigilance, presence, and visibility in Jerusalem, in the area of โโthe seam line and the settlements involved. It was also reported that "the Israeli Police are currently busy with a long series of tasks in order to allow the general public to celebrate the Purim holiday safely all over the country."
During the operation, Israeli forces were hit with heavy fire from armed locals, and they responded with hand-held rocket launchers. Two officers from the Police Counterterrorism Unit (YaMaM) were lightly injured by Palestinian fire.
The YaMaM officers injured during the operation were taken by helicopter to the nearest hospital for medical treatment at the same time they held talks with their families in order to update them on their injuries and keep them at ease. The soldiers were taken to the Rambam Hospital in Haifa, where the police commissioner checked in on them.
Argument for the death penalty in Israel?
โ Daniel Pipes ุฏุงููุงู ุจุงูุจุณ ๐บ๐ฆ (@DanielPipes) March 8, 2023
Abdel Fattah Hussain Harusha, 49, who killed brothers Hillel & Yagel #Yaniv on Feb. 26 in #Huwara, "had been released from an Israeli jail after an 8-month prison sentence for conspiracy to plan a terror attack."https://t.co/eC1CQCPD7r
Dr. Hani Bachus, director of the trauma and emergency medicine department at Rambam, said: "A wounded man arrived in moderate general condition, an isolated injury to the left shoulder, his life is not in danger. There is an injury to his back and he is scheduled to go to the operating room shortly."
The Commissioner added in a separate statement after visiting the hospital: "Fortunately, the operation ended successfully and everyone who carried a weapon against our forces was eliminated. This is an opportunity to give a good word to the entire security system, to the IDF and the Shin Bet, border patrol, and the IDF who carried out the mission. There is a clear message here to all the despicable terrorists that the long hand of the security forces will reach anyone who tries to harm the citizens of the State of Israel, we can get to them at any time and place as we demonstrated today in the heart of Jenin's Kasbah another successful activity of the security forces."
Palestinians carry the body of a member of Hamas who was killed in Jenin yesterday. pic.twitter.com/858NLU0qTW
โ Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) March 8, 2023
Meanwhile, Hamas called for an escalation of violence in the West Bank after the raid, stating โThe crimes and massacres of the occupation will not frighten our people, but rather will increase their determination and strength in confronting the occupation and its settler militia.โ To that end, the terror group tried and failed to launch rocket attacks from the Gaza strip at southern Israeli communities.
