IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari announced Tuesday that a reserve soldier was seriously injured during an operation in the Jordan Valley. "The soldier was taken to the hospital, and his family has been informed," the IDF said.
The exchange of fire took place in the Palestinian village of Taluza, east of Nablus, and according to the IDF the forces killed a terrorist there in a close range fight. Also, two armed terrorists were eliminated who opened fire on the soldiers. During the operation, the security forces confiscated a large number of weapons, including AK-47 rifles, and arrested 18 suspects.
IDF operates in the Jordan Valley
(Video: IDF)
The operation follows Monday's shooting attack near Kedumim, in which police officer Master Sgt. Elad Yaakov Winkelstein, 35; Rachel Cohen, 70; and Aliza Reiss, 73, were murdered. Defense Minister Israel Katz arrived at the scene of the attack on Tuesday and met the civilian who neutralized the threat. Katz also held a situation assessment in the Ephraim Brigade with senior IDF commanders.
"The despicable murderous attack that occurred here yesterday is an act of war in every sense of the word, and will be responded to accordingly," the defense minister said. "I have instructed the IDF to bolster forces in the West Bank. We will act forcefully against the perpetrators and those who sheltered them. We will not tolerate Palestinian terrorism," Katz said.
This operation joins a long-running counter-terrorism operation in the West Bank. In addition to the IDF, the Palestinian Authority's security forces also are operating against terrorism in the West Bank over the past month. The Palestinian security forces are operating against the terrorists in the Jenin Battalion, and during the operation six Palestinian security personnel were killed in action.
On Monday, senior Palestinian Authority officials met with the head of Palestinian Intelligence, Minister Majed Faraj, and decided to continue the operation. "The PA security forces will continue their activities in Jenin and will not announce the cessation of the operation. So far, about 700 lawbreakers and terrorists have been arrested," they said.
"Most of the members of the Jenin Battalion fled the camp, the forces are arrested them everywhere," a senior Palestinian security source said. According to the Palestinians, the operation led to the siege of the Jenin refugee camp, and caused power and water outages, along with obstructing the arrival of ambulances. In addition, they claimed that some of the houses were converted into military sites, which led to the displacement of residents.
Meanwhile, Palestinian security mechanisms continue to operate throughout the West Bank. In the operation in Atil, north of Tulkarm, three Palestinians were injured by gunfire. One of the injured suspects is the released prisoner Yousef Mahana, one of the founders of the Tulkarm Battalion belonging to Islamic Jihad.
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Senior officials in the mechanisms this morning commented on Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's statement after the attack in Kedumim, who claimed that the Palestinian Authority cannot be trusted and that "Nablus and Jenin should look like Jabaliya," and said: "Israeli extremists and terrorist organizations have the same interest, apparently to set the West Bank on fire. This is media propaganda that serves the extremist ministers to garner more votes from Israelis who are angry about the attacks."
Following the deadly attack in Kedumim, Smotrich met with West Bank officials. At the meeting, the minister said that the next cabinet meeting will deal with steps to eradicate terrorism in the West Bank. "In Judea and Samaria, as in other arenas, we must move from defense to offense and launch extensive operations inside the terrorist nests until the weapons and terrorists are completely destroyed," said Smotrich.