Several army and intelligence sources told i24NEWS on Thursday that there are concerns about possible rocket launches from the Gaza Strip after two Palestinian terrorists were killed in clashes with the Israeli military in the West Bank.
The sources confirmed to i24NEWS correspondents that the IDF operation in the Jenin area earlier this morning, which led to the death of two members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist group, could prompt rocket attacks from Gaza. However, they noted that Hamas, which rules the enclave, is not currently interested in the confrontation with the Israeli army, and will try to stop PIJ.
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There is concern that another rocket attack from Gaza is forthcoming
(Photo: Reuters)
Israeli forces conducted a pre-dawn counterterrorism operation aimed at arresting three wanted suspects. During the raid near the West Bank city of Jenin, the soldiers came under fire and killed two members of the PIJ in the firefight. Among them was the commander of the group's Jenin Brigade, Mohammed Ayman al-Saadi, also known as Abu al-Yaman.
According to the IDF, he was responsible for a series of recent shooting attacks against Israeli forces. Another gunman was identified as Na'im Zubeidi, who was believed to be a relative of Zakaria Zubeidi, a notorious Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terrorist.
A senior military official earlier told i24NEWS that two "valuable operations" conducted by the Israeli military in the past 24 hours foiled terrorist attacks nearly ready to be carried out. Palestinian factions in the Jenin area declared a strike and a "general mobilization" after the clashes.