Israel Defense Forces soldiers eliminated a terrorist who hurled an explosive device at them during counter-terrorism operations in northern Samaria, the military said on Saturday night.
The incident took place near Silat al-Harithiya, a Palestinian village located six miles northwest of the Jenin terror hub, the IDF stated.
No injuries to Israeli troops were reported.
Also on Saturday evening, IDF soldiers apprehended two Palestinian suspects who were driving toward the Israeli community of Beit El in southern Samaria. Knives and an ax were found inside their car.
“The suspects were apprehended and transferred to the Israel Police for further processing,” the IDF said, adding that no injuries were reported.
The pair were residents of Tulkarem in western Samaria, Ynet reported.
On Nov. 26, the Israeli military launched “Operation Five Stones,” aimed at countering the terrorist threat emanating from Palestinian Authority villages and cities in western and northern Samaria.
Security forces had already intensified operations in the area following the failed Feb. 20 terror bombings in Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv, in which three empty buses exploded and bombs were discovered on two others.
The operation ended on Dec. 5, with the IDF reporting the elimination of six terrorists and detention of dozens of other wanted suspects.
Troops also seized hundreds of thousands of shekels used to fund terrorism, along with dozens of weapons, including handguns, M16 rifles, Carlo-type improvised firearms, ammunition and knives.
Palestinian terrorists targeted Israeli Jews in Judea and Samaria at least 6,343 times in 2024, according to figures published by Rescuers Without Borders (Hatzalah Judea and Samaria).
The group’s data did not include the hundreds of attacks targeting Israeli security personnel during ongoing counter-terror raids in Palestinian Authority–controlled cities and towns.
Twenty-seven Israeli civilians were killed in Judea and Samaria in 2024, and 300-plus others were wounded, the group said in its annual report.
