The Israeli military overnight Sunday mapped for demolition the home of a suspect in the Feb. 27 murder of an Israeli American near Jericho.
During the operation in the Aqabat Jaber refugee camp, located some two miles from Jericho in the Jordan Valley, Israeli forces were shot at and had firebombs and stones hurled at them, according to the Israel Defense Forces. The soldiers returned fire, and also deployed crowd dispersal measures, said the IDF.
Elan Ganeles, a native of West Hartford, Connecticut, had traveled to the Jewish state to celebrate a friend’s wedding. Ganeles, who served in the IDF from July 2016 to August 2018, was shot while driving near the Beit Ha’arava Junction.
The IDF on Wednesday arrested two Palestinians in Aqabat Jabr in connection with the shooting. A third Palestinian, who was with the suspects at the time of their arrest, was shot as he attempted to flee, and was also detained, according to the Israeli military.
A total of 14 people were arrested in Judea and Samaria overnight Sunday as part of the IDF’s “Operation Break the Wave,” launched in March following a wave of deadly terrorist attacks in Israeli cities.