According to the IDF, forces entered Tamun overnight and uncovered weapons, including an M-16 rifle and ammunition magazines. This marks the latest expansion of the nearly two-week-old operation, which now includes brigade-level combat teams operating simultaneously in three locations: the Jenin and Tulkarm refugee camps, and now Tamun.
"Security forces continue the operation to thwart terrorism in northern Samaria while ensuring the safety of Israeli civilians," the IDF said.
Since the start of the operation, IDF troops have been conducting raids in the hostile urban terrain of Jenin, a densely packed area of approximately 1.5 square kilometers, arresting and eliminating terrorists.
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Last week, Staff Sgt. Liam Hazi of the Haruv Reconnaissance Battalion was killed in an encounter with Palestinian gunmen in Jenin, where four other soldiers were lightly to moderately wounded, and another was seriously injured.
The IDF has recently extended its operation to Tulkarm's Nur Shams refugee camp, implementing checkpoints to screen residents for potential terrorist activity in both Jenin and Tulkarm.
Israeli airstrike on terrorist cell in Tamun, West Bank
(Video: IDF)
On Saturday, Israeli aircraft struck two groups of armed terrorists near the Jenin refugee camp, with confirmed hits, according to the military. Later, the IDF targeted a vehicle carrying terrorists in Kabatiya, south of Jenin, killing three individuals. Palestinian sources identified one of the dead as Abd al-Hadi Kamil, a Hamas operative who was released from Israeli prison in the first hostage deal in November 2023.
Tamun, the latest focus of IDF operations, was targeted in an Israeli airstrike last Wednesday that killed at least 10 terrorists, including Omar Basharat and Montaser Bani Odeh, who were involved in a roadside bomb attack that killed IDF reservist Sgt. First Class (res.) Eviatar Ben Yehuda. The two were also linked to additional shooting and bombing attacks.
In early January, the IDF confirmed another airstrike in Tamun targeting a group of terrorists. Palestinian reports claimed three people were killed, including two children aged 8 and 10. The IDF claimed that those killed were confirmed as terrorists actively planting explosives near Israeli forces. Prior to that, two armed Palestinians who opened fire at Israeli troops were killed in a drone strike.