An Israel Defense Forces officer was lightly wounded overnight Wednesday during a counterterrorism operation in the Palestinian town of Dheisheh, just south of Bethlehem.
During the arrest raid, Palestinians attacked IDF, Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and Border Police personnel with explosive devices, Molotov cocktails and stones. The Israeli forces responded with riot control measures and shots fired into the air.
The injured officer was evacuated to the hospital.
Six Palestinians detained in Dheisheh on suspicion of terrorist involvement were being questioned on Thursday.
Overall, Israeli forces arrested 17 Palestinian suspects during operations across Judea and Samaria, including in the villages of Jalbun and Kafr Dan near Jenin; Nur a-Shams near Tulkarem; and Salem and Deir al-Hatab near Nablus.
לוחמי צה"ל, שב"כ ומג"ב פעלו הלילה למעצר 17 מבוקשים ברחבי יהודה ושומרון; במסגרת מבצע מעצרים במחנה הפליטים דהיישה נעצרו שישה מבוקשים>> pic.twitter.com/hgf6r6MKQH
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) April 20, 2023
Earlier Wednesday night, Palestinian terrorists opened fire on a bus transporting Israeli civilians in Samaria. No injuries were reported, but the vehicle sustained damage, the IDF said.
The attack took place between the Tapuach Junction and the community of Migdalim. Troops were deployed to search for the perpetrators.
Also Wednesday, Israeli security personnel apprehended the terrorist who shot and moderately wounded two haredi Jews in Jerusalem’s Shimon HaTzadik neighborhood the previous day. The Palestinian attacker was caught during a raid in the Samarian city of Nablus (biblical Shechem).
