Israeli Air Force strikes in the Tulkarem area of Samaria killed nine Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists over the weekend, among them members of cells responsible for the murder of an off-duty soldier, a Border Police officer and a civilian, the Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday.
The counterterror operation in the Tulkarem area was launched following the targeted elimination of a terrorist squad on its way to carry out an attack, according to the military.
“Nine terrorists were killed in Tulkarem … including a terrorist who had a part in the killing of Maj. Gen. Elhanan Klein, Chief Inspector Yatev Lev Halevi and Amnon Muchtar,” the army said.
Slain Hamas terror leader Haitham Balidi was “responsible for a large number of terrorist attacks throughout Judea and Samaria in which Israeli citizens were wounded,” the statement added.
Ali Khalil and Jamal Abu Haniya, who murdered Amnon Muchtar, 66, after he entered the Arab city of Qalqilya in western Samaria in June, were also eliminated in an airstrike, the IDF said.
Another terrorist killed over the weekend was Islamic Jihad’s Jaber Tsaba, who carried out shootings towards Israeli communities close to the Samaria security fence, including Bat Hefer, Avnei Hefetz and Einav.
In the first six months of 2024, first responders recorded 3,272 attacks in Judea and Samaria, including 1,868 cases of rock-throwing, 456 fire-bombings, 299 explosive charges and 109 shootings.
In the 10 months since the Oct. 7 Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel, around 4,400 wanted terrorists have been arrested by Israeli forces throughout Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley, including some 1,850 associated with Hamas, according to the most recent IDF figures.
