IDF shoots terrorist who hurled brick at soldiers in Hebron

Israel Defense Forces troops fired on a Palestinian who had hurled a brick at them during an operation in Hebron on Monday, according to the military.

“The terrorist was neutralized, and no IDF injuries were reported,” according to the statement.

Also on Tuesday, the military announced its intention to demolish the Jordan Valley home of Abd al-Arouf Masri, who was part of the terrorist cell that murdered 23-year-old Yonatan Deutsch from Beit She’an in a shooting attack at the nearby Mehola Junction on Aug. 11, 2024.

“Yesterday, OC Central Command [Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth] issued a statement regarding his intention to confiscate and demolish the apartment where the terrorist Abd Masri lived in Aqabah,” it said.

“The terrorist, together with other terrorists, carried out a shooting attack at the Mehola Junction on Aug. 11, 2024. In the attack, Yonatan Deutsch, of blessed memory, was murdered, and another person was wounded,” the IDF statement added.

On Friday, the IDF thwarted a stabbing near the community of Shim’a, south of Hebron in Judea. A soldier stationed at the scene shot and killed the terrorist.

In a separate incident on Friday, a security guard shot and neutralized a Palestinian armed with a knife who charged the entrance to Kibbutz Migdal Oz in Gush Etzion.

On Thursday, eight IDF soldiers were wounded in a vehicular assault at the Beit Lid/Hasharon Junction in central Israel. The assailant ran over troops waiting at a bus stop on Route 57 at the entrance to Kfar Yona, located between Netanya and Tulkarem.

Over the past month, Israeli security forces have ramped up their efforts to counter ongoing terrorist threats across Judea and Samaria, conducting a series of focused operations aimed at disrupting planned attacks.

In dozens of raids and targeted missions led jointly by the IDF and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), troops eliminated two armed terrorists and detained a total of 36 wanted individuals, authorities said on Tuesday.

Among those arrested were 12 suspects believed to be actively plotting attacks against Israeli targets in Judea and Samaria. Security officials highlighted a string of recent arrests, noting that members of the elite Duvdevan undercover unit, operating in coordination with the Shin Bet, apprehended two men from Ramallah and another from Beitunia over the past week alone. The suspects, according to the IDF, were planning imminent attacks.

During the course of these operations, forces also uncovered and confiscated a cache of illicit weapons and explosives, including several improvised explosive devices.

Military officials emphasize that anti-terror activities are ongoing day and night throughout the Judea and Samaria region as part of a sustained effort to safeguard Israeli residents and deter further violence.