An Israeli Air Force drone attack killed two senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists in the northern Samaria city of Jenin on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet said in a joint statement.
The slain terrorists were identified by Israel as Ahmed Barakat and Muhammad Hawashin.
Barakat was said to have carried out the Samaria terror shooting on May 30, 2023, in which Israeli civilian Meir Tamari, 31, was murdered.
According to the statement, the two men recently plotted a thwarted attack that had targeted “the heart of Israel.” The statement also said they were behind the March 8 terror bombing that wounded seven Israeli soldiers at a military outpost near Homesh in Samaria.
כלי-טיס של חיל-האוויר תקף כלי רכב בו היו שני מחבלי גא״פ בכירים במרחב ג׳נין, במסגרת פעילות משותפת עם שב"כ.
— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) March 20, 2024
בתקיפה חוסל אחמד ברכאת אשר ביצע את פיגוע הירי בחרמש במאי 2023, בו נרצח מאיר תמרי ז"ל וכן הותקף מחמד חוואשין, מפקד תשתית הטרור של הגא״פ בג׳נין, לצד שני מחבלים נוספים. pic.twitter.com/FHCsNVxpho
Palestinian reports claimed that the Israeli drone killed at least three people.
Overnight Tuesday, IDF troops arrested 34 Palestinian terrorism suspects throughout Judea and Samaria.
Since Hamas launched its latest war against the Jewish state on Oct. 7, around 3,500 wanted terrorists have been arrested in the region, of whom about 1,500 are associated with the Gaza-based terrorist group.
