Al-Aqsa member (Archive)
Photo: AP
IDF kills Fatah member in Ramallah
Al-Aqsa Brigades member killed in fire exchange with army unit in Ramallah
Palestinian intelligence officer and member of the al-Aqsa Brigades, the Fatah's military wing, was killed Thursday evening in a fire exchange between members of the group and a special IDF unit operating in Ramallah.
An al-Aqsa cell encountered an army force while riding a car in Ramallah's downtown. The Palestinians identified the soldiers and opened fire at their vehicle. The troops responded with fire and killed one of the gunmen, Ayman Ratab, while the rest of the cell members managed to flee the scene. The soldiers later returned Ratab's body to the Palestinians.
A top al-Aqsa official in Ramallah told Ynet that his men fired at the army force and wounded one of the troops. The IDF denied the report.
The al-Aqsa Brigades were behind several shooting attacks in the Ramallah area in recent days. In one of the incidents, an east Jerusalem Palestinian resident was killed after the group's gunmen opened fire at an Israeli vehicle traveling along highway 443. On Tuesday three settlers were injured by shooting at their car near the settlement of Ofra, and in a separate incident two Israeli girls were hurt in the town's vicinity.
Efrat Weiss contributed to the report
