update deskIsrael-Palestinian Conflict

Border police arrest accomplice in Huwara attack

The suspect is believed to have assisted the terrorist who murdered Shay Silas Nigrekar and his son, Aviad Nir.

Two Israelis were slain in the Palestinian Authority-controlled village of Huwara, located close to Nablus in Samaria, Aug. 19, 2023. Credit: TPS.
Two Israelis were slain in the Palestinian Authority-controlled village of Huwara, located close to Nablus in Samaria, Aug. 19, 2023. Credit: TPS.

Israeli Border Police officers conducted an arrest raid in Beita, near Nablus (Shechem), on Monday and apprehended a suspect in Saturday’s deadly terrorist attack.

The suspect is believed to have assisted the terrorist who murdered Shay Silas Nigrekar, 60, and his 28-year-old son, Aviad Nir. The Ashdod residents were shot at point-blank range at a car wash in the Palestinian village of Huwara, which is adjacent to Nablus.

Following Monday’s arrest operation, which was carried out by undercover Border Police officers, Palestinians in Beita clashed with security forces, Army Radio reported. Five Palestinians were injured in the riots, including one seriously.

The Israel Defense Forces was continuing to search for the Huwara shooter.

Meanwhile, a 40-year-old Israeli woman was killed and a 39-year-old man was seriously wounded on Monday morning in a terrorist shooting near Hebron in Judea.

The slain woman was identified as Batsheva Nagari, a kindergarten teacher and mother of three from Beit Hagai, an Israeli community in the South Hebron Hills. The other victim, a man in his 30s, was evacuated to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva.

In a statement, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed “militia” of Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction, claimed responsibility for the attack.

The IDF said that it was boosting security forces in Judea and Samaria following the shooting—deploying an additional infantry battalion and two companies. That will raise the number of battalions in Judea and Samaria to 23.

OC Central Command Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fox on Monday declared that Israel is “in the middle of an escalation, a terror wave, the likes of which we have not seen in a long time,” adding that “the IDF and security forces are operating daily in every area, to foil terror.

“We will chase down our enemies in Huwara and Hebron, and in any other place,” vowed Fox.

In recent months, Fox has come under fire from some members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, with Otzma Yehudit Party lawmaker Limor Son Har-Melech claiming that he “consistently ensures the welfare of Palestinian residents of Judea and Samaria, and [is] against Jewish residents.”

Netanyahu has defended the general, calling him an “admired officer who works tirelessly to defend all the citizens of Israel.”

You have read 3 articles this month.
Register to receive full access to JNS.

Just before you scroll on...

Israel is at war. JNS is combating the stream of misinformation on Israel with real, honest and factual reporting. In order to deliver this in-depth, unbiased coverage of Israel and the Jewish world, we rely on readers like you. The support you provide allows our journalists to deliver the truth, free from bias and hidden agendas. Can we count on your support? Every contribution, big or small, helps JNS.org remain a trusted source of news you can rely on.

Become a part of our mission by donating today
Topics
Comments
Thank you. You are a loyal JNS Reader.
You have read more than 10 articles this month.
Please register for full access to continue reading and post comments.