An Israeli Defense Forces soldier was moderately injured by shrapnel and taken to a hospital during a counterterrorism operation early Sunday in the Nur Shams camp, east of Tulkarem in northwestern Samaria.
Terrorists threw explosives and shot at the Israeli forces, who responded with live fire. “Hits were detected,” the IDF said.
Palestinian Authority health officials said that two Palestinians were killed during the Israeli raid.
The P.A. Health Ministry reported that Asid Abu Ali, 21, and Abdulrahman Abu Daghash, 32, were killed by Israeli fire during the military activities.
The IDF said that soldiers located a building in the camp and dismantled an operational command center inside that “contained observation devices, computers and technological devices. Additionally, the forces located another room and neutralized dozens of ready-to-use explosive devices, gas-based explosive devices, and a large number of components for making explosive devices.”
The IDF documented the destruction of the terrorist command center.
IDF engineering vehicles also operated in the area to uncover explosive devices planted under the roads. The vehicles uncovered a large number of explosive devices that exploded, including at least one IED.
The Israeli bulldozers caused “heavy damage to roads,” the AP reported
The counterterrorism operation comes amid heightened security tensions in Israel ahead of Yom Kippur, which begins on Sunday evening and is the holiest occasion on the Jewish calendar.
Thousands of police officers, security personnel and volunteers are to be deployed throughout the country to prevent terrorist attacks during the holiday, with a special emphasis on Jerusalem, mixed Jewish-Arab cities, synagogues and other places where Jews gather for prayer.
Police are calling for licensed gun holders to bring their weapons to Yom Kippur prayers at the synagogue they attend.
On Saturday evening, a general closure was imposed on all of Judea and Samaria, and the Gaza Strip crossings were closed, with the borders reopening at midnight after Yom Kippur ends on Monday evening. During this period, only transit crossings involving humanitarian and medical cases will be allowed and only with the approval of the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories unit.
Already before Rosh Hashanah kicked off the High Holiday season, police had raised the alert level in Israel amid an increase in warnings of possible terrorist attacks and a spike in social media incitement by terrorist groups.
“The number of warnings leading up to Yom Kippur is increasing. That is why we call on worshippers to watch out for their safety, and for those who [legally] bear arms to come to prayers with their weapons,” said Maj. Gen. Sigal Bar-Zvi, head of the Israel Police’s operations division.
