Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant paid a hospital visit on Tuesday to IDF soldiers wounded in battle the previous day in Jenin, warning that “all options are on the table” to defeat Palestinian terrorism.
“I instructed the defense establishment to take proactive and offensive actions wherever there is a danger to the lives of our citizens and our forces,” said Gallant.
“We will act in any necessary way and reach anywhere in order to preserve our freedom of action. All options are on the table,” he said.
Israeli helicopter gunships struck targets in the Jenin area on Monday morning after a deadly gun battle erupted during an IDF counterterror raid in the city.
As Israeli forces withdrew from the city with two wanted suspects in custody, a roadside bomb detonated next to an armored vehicle, wounding eight soldiers.
The Israeli airstrike, the first in Judea and Samaria since the Second Intifada in the early 2000s, allowed the military to extricate the wounded.
There are increasing calls within the government to carry out a large-scale offensive in northern Samaria to root out Palestinian terrorist groups.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Monday praised the security forces for “risking their lives and fighting against vile terrorists for hours and demonstrating determination against the enemy.”
Ben-Gvir added: “I pray for the recovery of the wounded fighters, with the entire nation of Israel behind you.”
