IDF drone strikes terrorist cell's car in Jenin, West Bank
An Israeli drone struck a group of terrorists in the northern West Bank city of Jenin, the IDF reported Saturday.
Palestinian sources reported that four people were killed in the airstrike on a vehicle traveling in the city's center.
Palestinian security forces arrived at the scene to collect weapons from the vehicle, sparking clashes with a crowd that included exchanges of live fire.
The Palestinians confirmed that at least two of the dead were Hamas members, identified as Rafet Mahmoud Dwassa, 28, and Ahmed Abu Ara, 26.
The IDF later reported that the two were involved in planning the shooting attack in the West Bank's Jordan Valley which claimed the life of Yonatan Deutsch last week.
According to the army, Abu Ara was a senior operative in explosives production for terrorist attacks, while Dawasi held a senior position in Hamas' military wing in Jenin.
In recent weeks, the IDF has ramped up its use of targeted airstrikes against terrorists in the West Bank. Earlier this week, an Israeli airstrike killed two Palestinian terrorists near Nablus who posed a threat to ground forces during a counterterrorism operation. One of the deceased was Wael Mashah, who had been released from Israeli prison in November as part of a deal involving the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
Earlier this month, an IDF operation in Jenin concluded with 11 terrorists killed in airstrikes and during subsequent firefights, according to the army.