The Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and the IDF arrested eight terrorist operatives on Monday night suspected of a series of shooting attacks in Samaria.
The eight men carried out a series of attacks in recent weeks that did not result in casualties, the agency said. The weapons they allegedly used were also confiscated.
The shootings took place in areas assigned to the Israel Defense Forces’ Binyamin and Efraim Territorial Brigades. The first operates around Ramallah, and the second near Tulkarm and Qalqilya.
The Shin Bet found during its investigation that Belal Barghouti and Ahmed Aqel, residents of the village of Beit Rima, northwest of Ramallah, were involved in shooting attacks against IDF soldiers in the nearby village of Nabi Saleh on Dec. 7 and Jan. 26.
It also emerged that they were involved in a shooting attack against an Israeli vehicle near the planned city of Rawabi on Feb. 3.
Also arrested were Ahmed Manasra and Alaa Manasra, residents of the Qalandiya refugee camp, who allegedly carried out a shooting attack on the night of Jan. 27 directed towards the Qalandiya checkpoint, the Shin Bet said.
Another suspect, Ahmed Abu Arida, a resident of the Beitunia refugee camp near Ramallah, is believed to have fired towards the Beitunia checkpoint, also on Jan. 27.
Muhammed Makhrouk and Jibril Zbeidi, residents of the Jalazone refugee camp, which is also near Ramallah, were found to have carried out a shooting attack on Dec. 18 towards the Beit El community.
“Finding and quickly thwarting the local terrorist squads they were members of removed a real threat from the area,” the Shin Bet said in a statement.
“The Shin Bet and the IDF will continue to work to thwart terrorist acts and bring those involved in such activities to justice,” it added.
The suspects are expected to stand trial for their activities after the investigation is completed.
