Israeli security forces operating in Samaria killed a Palestinian terrorist on his way to carry out an imminent attack, the Israel Defense Forces and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) said in a statement on Monday.
Muhammad Jaber, a resident of the terror hub of Jenin in northern Samaria, was killed by the IDF’s Duvdevan undercover counterterror unit in Zeita, in the area of the Judea and Samaria security barrier.
According to local media reports, Jaber was caught “en route to Israeli territory” armed with weapons and explosives. The Kan News public broadcaster said he had planned to carry out an attack in Tel Aviv.
Also on Monday, Palestinian terrorists fired a barrage of bullets at the Ganot checkpoint, located adjacent to Shavei Shomron near Nablus (Shechem), according to Arab reports. In October 2022, IDF Staff Sgt. Ido Baruch was shot and killed at the same intersection.
In a separate incident in the Binyamin region of southern Samaria, terrorists threw a powerful explosive device towards houses in the community of Psagot. No injuries were reported.
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 that took place from 2000 to 2005, per IDF data.
Between Oct. 7 and Jan. 15, Rescuers Without Borders first responders recorded more than 2,600 Palestinian attacks targeting Israelis in Judea and Samaria, including 760 cases of rock-throwing; 551 fire bombings; 12 attempted or successful stabbings; and nine vehicular assaults.
