The Israel Defense Forces said on Wednesday it was investigating warning shots fired by troops while a delegation of foreign officials was visiting the terror hub of Jenin in Samaria.
The officials, whose visit to Jenin was approved by the military, had deviated from their route, entering a closed area that was an active combat zone, the IDF noted in a Hebrew-language statement.
“An IDF force operating at the location fired a warning shot. There were no damages or casualties,” the statement continued, adding that the military “regrets the inconvenience caused” by the unusual incident.
After it became clear that the delegation included foreign officials, IDF Judea and Samaria Division commander Brig. Gen. Yaki Dolf launched an investigation, the IDF stated. Brig. Gen. Hisham Ibrahim, who leads the Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration, was set to personally update the officials on the initial findings of the probe, it said.
According to Qatar’s Al Jazeera outlet, the delegation visiting Jenin included more than 25 diplomats from European and Arab nations.
The Palestinian Authority, which immediately condemned Jerusalem after the incident, said the visit included diplomats from Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, France, the U.K., India, Japan, Jordan, Lithuania, Mexico, Morocco, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sri Lanka, the European Union, Turkey and other nations.
In late January, the Israeli military launched “Operation Iron Wall,” which seeks to neutralize the threat posed by terror hotbeds such as Jenin. The ongoing counterterrorism operations mark a change in Jerusalem’s security strategy, Defense Minister Israel Katz has said.
Israeli ground forces entered Jenin on Jan. 21 with the goal of preserving Jerusalem’s ability to swiftly act against terror groups, known among Palestinians as the “Martyrs’ Capital” due to the significant number of suicide bombers who have emanated from the area.
IDF soldiers will remain in Palestinian areas in northern Samaria after the completion of the military operation, to ensure that the situation “does not return to what it was,” Katz stressed in Jan. 29 comments.
The IDF has intensified its raids in the area following the Feb. 20 failed bus bombings near Tel Aviv. Three empty buses exploded, and bombs were found on two others in what is being investigated as a coordinated terror attack. At least one of the bombs reportedly bore a note, in Arabic and Hebrew, which stated: “Revenge from the Tulkarem refugee camp.”
