Troops from the Israel Defense Forces Paratroopers Brigade arrested more than 300 wanted terrorists during a five-month deployment to Judea and Samaria, the military said on Thursday.
The paratroopers, which had operated under the Judea and Samaria Division since August, completed their mission in the area “and are now entering a training phase in preparation for their next mission,” it stated.
As part of the operation, the paratroopers apprehended more than 300 wanted suspects, eliminated 25 terrorists and confiscated dozens of weapons used by terror groups, the army’s said.
Meanwhile, the Paratroopers Brigade held several battalion exercises “to preserve and enhance operational readiness, including training in built-up and open areas, airborne drills for the evacuation of casualties under fire, and the provision of rear-area support for extreme scenarios,” it said.
The military noted that the drills incorporated experiences from the paratroopers’ deployment to the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Syria fighting in the seven-front War of Redemption during the past two years.
On Tuesday, Israeli security forces dispersed a gathering in support of terror at Birzeit University, a Palestinian university near Ramallah in Samaria.
The student rally was dispersed by IDF soldiers and Israel Border Police with riot dispersal means, according to the statement.
Later, an additional violent confrontation broke out involving “hundreds of suspects,” with rocks being thrown from rooftops at security forces, “posing an immediate threat to them,” the IDF statement continued.
“The forces responded with riot dispersal means and precise fire toward the main violent individuals,” it said. “The IDF will continue to operate against terrorism and will not tolerate any kind of incitement to terror against Israeli civilians.”
