IDF security forces are currently operating in the Jenin refugee camp
For the first time since Operation Home and Garden in July, an IDF force on Monday began operating in the Jenin refugee camp, and arrested three wanted Hamas operatives. Armed men were spotted fleeing from a building, the soldiers fired at them and a hit was recorded. The armed men shot and threw stones at the Israeli security forces who returned fire. There were no casualties among the soldiers.
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During the operation, a suicide attack drone was used against a group of armed men who shot at the troops, and hit them. The IDF first used the Maoz suicide drone in the West Bank against small strongholds during Operation Home and Garden, but this time there was also damage to armed terrorists using the relatively new drone of the ground forces. The government hospital in Jenin reported that five Palestinians were wounded by gunfire, including one in critical condition.
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The IDF arrested three wanted terrorists in Jenin: Abdullah Sobeh, Ward Sharim, and Mus’ab Ja’aydah
The forces operated in the southern area of the refugee camp and, in addition to the two wanted persons who were defined in advance as targets, a third wanted person was also captured - Abdullah Sobeh, a senior Hamas official from Burkin, whom the IDF has been trying to capture for a long time, but who had managed to escape repeatedly.
According to the IDF, Sobeh, who is considered a prominent terrorist operative who plans and carries out terrorist acts throughout the Jenin area and northern West Bank, is also responsible in recent months for attempting to fire rockets at the Gilboa settlements, for setting off a car bomb near the entrance of Dotan and for transferring funds to other terrorist operatives in the camp. He was arrested against the backdrop of his participation in a series of shooting attacks, bomb attacks and car bomb attacks," the IDF said in a statement.
Another arrested terrorist is Ward Sharim from Jenin, who was involved in shooting attacks and other terrorist activity with Sobeh and other terrorists, and the third one who was arrested is Mus’ab Ja’aydah. One of the wanted men threw away his weapon and was captured at the end of a short chase, another terrorist who tried to escape was caught by a sting unit dog and a third - who was shot and wounded by soldiers' gunfire - was taken by helicopter to the hospital.
The three have recently been involved in extensive terrorist activity and engaged in shooting attacks, explosives and promoting other attacks. The soldiers confiscated an M-16 weapon belonging to one of the wanted men and the operatives were transferred for further investigation by the Shin Bet.
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IDF soldiers during Operation Home and Garden in Jenin in July
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
The IDF stated that the terrorist operatives in the camp were surprised and reacted late to the entry of the Israeli forces. It was only after the soldiers surrounded the buildings and began the arrests that an alarm was raised and Palestinian gunmen opened fire - about 15 minutes after the beginning of the daytime activity. According to the IDF, no uninvolved Palestinians nor soldiers were injured during the raid due to the precise action of the soldiers.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Kassem said: "I salute the fighters of the resistance factions involved in fierce clashes with the enemy army soldiers. The Jenin camp will remain a fortress of resistance, and the occupation will not be able to break it."
CLASHES REPORTED BETWEEN IDF, PALESTINIANS IN JENIN REFUGEE CAMP
About a month ago, Ynet learned that officials in the security system recognized that Palestinian terrorists in the refugee camp are trying to restore order in Jenin in the wake of Operation Home and Garden, with an emphasis on infrastructure, the production of powerful explosives, and the procurement of new ammunition.
Operation Home and Garden began on July 3 and officially ended on the night between July 4 and 5, when all the security forces left the refugee camp and the city of Jenin.
"The terrible events of that night reminded us of what preceded the Hamas coup in Gaza," Azam Jabara, he police chief in Jenin, said about two weeks ago to the soldiers who protected the police station from the rioters.
First published: 11:29, 09.04.23