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Israeli forces arrest eight during Judea and Samaria counter-terror raids

Clashes broke out during an operation in Nablus in which two terror suspects were apprehended.

Israeli forces carry out counter-terror operations in Judea and Samaria, May 8, 2023. Credit: Israel Defense Forces.
Israeli forces carry out counter-terror operations in Judea and Samaria, May 8, 2023. Credit: Israel Defense Forces.

Israeli security forces arrested eight terror suspects across Judea and Samaria overnight Monday and early Tuesday according to the Israel Defense Forces.

Two were apprehended in Nablus in northern Samaria on Tuesday morning, and two M-16 rifles and ammunition were also seized.

Rioters stoned Israeli forces during the Nablus operation, who responded with riot dispersal means and live ammunition. The force came under terrorist fire as they withdrew from the city, and explosives were also thrown at them, according to the military.

Three suspects were detained in Hebron and adjacent towns, and two in the towns of Al Mughayyir and Silwad, respectively. Handguns, firework explosives and military equipment were seized during the operations.

One suspect was apprehended in ‘Ayda Camp, and an M-16 rifle and magazines were confiscated in the town of Jamma’in.

No Israeli casualties were reported.

“Wherever there is terrorism, we work to thwart it, or deal with those who committed terrorism as soon as we have the information and the conditions to do so,” said IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari.

The Nablus raid came shortly after the IDF killed three top Palestinian Islamic Jihad leaders in strikes across the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military identified the targets of the operation as Khalil Bahitini, PIJ’s commander in northern Gaza; Jahed Ahnam, a senior member of the terror group’s military council; and Tarek Azaldin, who directs its activities in Judea and Samaria.

Israel also struck 10 sites belonging to PIJ, including weapons manufacturing facilities and depots.

The military dubbed the campaign “Operation Shield and Arrow.”

Israelis residing within 40 kilometers (25 miles) of Gaza have been instructed to enter or stay near bomb shelters amid fears of rocket attacks.

The promotion of one of the president’s most partisan and hard-nosed lieutenants to one of the most powerful jobs in Washington may signal how Trump intends to respond to his party’s defeat in the midterms.
“It’s an evolving trend that shows greater signs of permanence than temporary quality,” Dan Diker of the Jerusalem Center for Foreign Affairs told JNS.
The president is continuing consultations with the newly elected factions scheduled through Thursday evening.
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