An Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed and three others were wounded on Saturday during clashes with Hamas terrorists in Jenin in northern Samaria.
The slain man was named as Staff Sgt. Elkana Navon, 20, of the Bislamach Brigade’s 906th Training Battalion, from Petach Tikvah.
Bislamach is an acronym for the School for Infantry Corps Professions and Squad Commanders—the IDF body responsible for training all infantry squad commanders and platoon sergeants.
Israel launched the large-scale operation in the Jenin and Tulkarem areas overnight Tuesday, involving hundreds of soldiers and air support. Troops were also active in the Far’a camp in Tubas.
According to an IDF investigation, troops conducting a counterterror raid in Jenin engaged in a firefight with two high-ranking Hamas members, killing both of them. Four soldiers were struck by the gunfire, including Navon.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi held an assessment in Jenin with senior officers earlier on Saturday.
The goal of the ongoing operation is to hit as much terrorist infrastructure as possible in northern Samaria and the Jordan Valley, with an emphasis on neutralizing explosives and locating terrorist operatives.
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon responded on Thursday morning to Secretary-General António Guterres’s call for a halt to IDF activity in Judea and Samaria.
“Since Oct. 7, Iran has been working vigorously to introduce into Judea and Samaria sophisticated explosive devices that are intended to detonate in the centers of Israeli cities,” Danon tweeted.
“The State of Israel cannot sit idly by and wait for the spectacle of buses and cafes exploding in city centers. The activity of the IDF forces in Judea and Samaria is intended for the clear purpose of thwarting terrorist attacks and acts before they are carried out under Iranian direction.”
The death toll among Israeli troops on all fronts since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 massacre now stands at 705, according to official military data.
Additionally, Chief Inspectgor Arnon Zamora, a member of the Border Police’s Yamam National Counter-Terrorism Unit, was fatally wounded during a hostage-rescue mission in Gaza in June, and civilian defense contractor Liron Yitzhak was mortally wounded in the Strip in May.
