Al-Aqsa gunman killed in Nablus operation
Special forces in pursuit of several gunmen in West Bank city seriously wound two Fatah operatives, evacuate them to Israel for treatment. One dies of his wounds. Two additional wanted men lightly wounded
Two Palestinian gunmen belonging to the al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigades, the military wing of Fatah, were seriously wounded on Wednesday morning by Israeli counterterrorism forces in the West Bank city of Nablus. Two additional wanted men were lightly wounded. The four wounded men were evacuated to an Israeli hospital for treatment, where one of the seriously wounded gunmen died shortly afterwards. The fifth member of the group was taken for questioning.
Defense officials said the force gave chase after five wanted gunmen, called on them to halt and opened fire at them when they failed to comply. One of the men was armed with a handgun. The four wounded men were evacuated to an Israeli hospital for treatment while the fifth member of the group was taken for questioning.
The army said the five were planning to carry out a terror attack in the coming days. Palestinian sources
identified the seriously wounded men as Ibrahim and A'al Masyami, both of whom were pardoned by Israel as part of the amnesty deal with Fatah. Israeli security forces have yet to confirm the report.
A total of 17 wanted Palestinians were arrested throughout the West Bank in overnight IDF operations. Near Jericho soldiers investigating reports of suspicious activity uncovered three Molotov cocktails.
Efrat Weiss contributed to this report
