Israeli forces conclude 18-hour counterterror op in Samaria

Israeli security forces on Monday completed an 18-hour counterterror raid in the al-Fari’ah camp in the foothills of the Jordan Valley, arresting eight suspects and killing another, the Israel Defense Forces announced.

The operation in al-Fari’ah, located east of Nablus (Shechem), included troops of the IDF’s Duchifat and Lions of the Jordan Valley Battalions and the elite unit Duvdevan, as well as Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) officers. No Israeli casualties were reported in the operation.

As part of the raid, the forces discovered and destroyed an explosives laboratory where more than 80 bombs were found, according to the IDF.

One Palestinian gunman was confirmed killed in an exchange of fire with Israeli troops, while several other terrorists were “hit,” the army said. In addition, the Combat Intelligence Collection Corps’ Unit 636 launched a drone strike on two armed terrorists about to attack.

Forces also confiscated terrorists’ weaponry that was discovered inside a suspicious vehicle that approached during the operation in the area. All eight detained suspects and their weapons were transferred to the security forces for interrogation, stated the military.

Judea and Samaria saw a dramatic rise in Palestinian terrorist attacks in 2023 compared to the previous year, with shootings reaching their highest level since the Second Intifada of 2000-05, IDF data show.

Since Hamas launched its war against the Jewish state on Oct. 7, Israeli forces have arrested more than 4,150 wanted Palestinians throughout Judea and Samaria, 1,750 of whom are affiliated with the terror group.

On Monday, IDF soldiers and Israel Border Police officers operated in Kafr Ni’ma near Ramallah to capture a Hamas cell responsible for an attempted attack at the Sde Ephraim Farm near Neria on Sunday.

Overnight Sunday, two terrorists entered the farm with drawn guns and proceeded to burn down a caravan.

Undercover Border Police officers and IDF troops on Monday night located a hideout in Kafr Ni’ma where the terror cell was gathered, causing four suspects to attempt to escape in a vehicle, police said.

The suspects then tried to ram into the officers, who responded by opening fire at the car, killing the four terrorists. Inside the vehicle, security forces found a sub-machine gun, military fatigues and IEDs.

Hamas said in a statement that four Palestinians were killed in the clash, including “military” commander Mohammed Jaber Abdo, who served 20 years in Israeli prisons on security offenses.