Israelis enter Palestinian village after their kibbutz comes under fire

Several Israelis crossed into Samaria and entered the nearby Palestinian village of Jalbun on Sunday, following a series of shooting attacks targeting their homes in Kibbutz Meirav.

Israel Defense Forces troops spotted the Israelis crossing the security fence and intervened to return them to the Israeli side.

There were no reports of confrontations during the incident, which came after residents met on Saturday night and decided to set up a local operations team to immediately respond to the wave of shootings and draw public attention to them.

On Friday night, as Jews were marking the beginning of the Sukkot holiday, Palestinian terrorists opened fire on Meirav, located on the slopes of Mount Gilboa, close to Jenin but within the Green Line.

IDF troops opened a manhunt, quickly identifying the terrorists and locating bullet casings in Jalbun.

“The shots were fired at a private home. If he wouldn’t have ducked, the owner would have paid with his life,” read a notice sent to residents of the kibbutz.

“We don’t intend to continue sitting helplessly waiting for a real tragedy. The writing, as well as the bullets, are on the wall; it’s only a matter of time until someone is killed. With full confidence in the IDF and its capabilities, we demand an immediate change in the security situation,” the missive continued.

Last month, Palestinian terrorists opened fire at an IDF patrol vehicle near Meirav. Nobody was injured, though the vehicle sustained a hit. Thereafter, eight residents of the kibbutz entered Jalbun in protest. They were quickly returned by the military and subsequently questioned by police.

In April, a shot was fired at Meirav from the direction of Jenin, causing no injuries. The Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) announced last month that Israeli forces had arrested a Palestinian gunman suspected of carrying out that attack.