IDF raids house near Jenin in search of terror cell leader
Israeli forces surround house in Burqin, on outskirts of Jenin, in search of Ahmad Nassr Jarrar, who headed terror cell behind murder of Rabbi Raziel Shevah near Havat Gilad; 4 people reported arrested, including 2 members of Jarrar family.
While surrounding the house, the forces called on Jarrar, who lives in Burqin, to turn himself in, using loudspeakers.
In addition to encircling the house in Burqin, the forces blocked accessways to two nearby villages, leading to clashes between Palestinians and security forces.
According to Palestinian sources, four people were arrested during the raid on Burqin, two of them members of the Jarrar family.
After leaving Burqin, the Israeli forces moved to the nearby Palestinian village, where they also encircled a house, but left after having questioned the residents.
Rabbi Raziel Shevah was murdered in early January in a drive-by shooting near the illegal outpost of Havat Gilad, where he resided.
After the murder, IDF troops spent over 12 hours in Jenin in search of Jarrar. During operations in the city, two fighters from the Border Police's counterterrorism unit Yamam were wounded in a firefight that resulted in the killing of another terrorist, Ahmad Ismail Jarrar, who it was later transpired was not the head of the terror cell.
Another terrorist was arrested, and several additional suspects were detained for questioning. Initial interrogation already pointed to ideological affiliation of the cell's members to Hamas.
During the raid, Israeli security forces demolished the cell leader's home as well as an adjacent home that belonged to his uncle. A third house was reportedly demolished, while a fourth was damaged, both belonging to the extended Jarrar family.
After initially believing the cell leader was killed in the house demolition and buried under the rubble, the IDF revised its conclusions after the Palestinians did not find a body inside the building.
Over the past two weeks, Israeli security forces continued carrying out covert and overt operations to locate the terrorist, which included searching through homes and detaining people with ties to him for questioning.
