The assassination of terror leader Amed Abdullah Abu-Shalal in Balata
(Video: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
The IDF and the Shin Bet internal security agency announced Wednesday morning that Amed Abdullah Abu-Shalal, the terrorist leader of the West Bank refugee camp of Balata near Nablus, was eliminated in a drone strike.
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According to a statement, Abu-Shalal had orchestrated numerous attacks throughout the West Bank over the past year, including a shooting in East Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood last April, injuring two residents, and a bombing attack against IDF soldiers last October that resulted in a soldier's injury.
The successful elimination of this cell came as they were reportedly planning an imminent large-scale terrorist attack. Post-operation investigations revealed several weapons in the car used by the terrorist cell.
The Balata camp's terrorist infrastructure under Abu-Shalal's command is believed to have been receiving funds and directions from Iranian sources. These sources are reportedly in collaboration with terrorist elements in the Gaza Strip and around the world.
The Palestinian news agency WAFA earlier reported that "three young Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike" near the Balata refugee camp. Palestinian security sources claimed that after the attacks, IDF military armored vehicles surrounded the bombed car and prevented rescuers from reaching the scene.
Earlier, the IDF announced the death of two IDF reservists Master Sergeant (res.) Zechariah Pesach Haber, 32, from Jerusalem and Sergeant Major (res.) Yair Katz, 34, from Holon, both soldiers of the 14th Brigade's 87th Battalion who were killed in action in the northern Gaza Strip, bringing the death toll since the beginning of Gaza ground operations against Hamas to 192.
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Master Sergeant (res.) Zechariah Pesach Haber and Sergeant Major (res.) Yair Katz
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
Additionally, the army said that a reservist fighter of the 401st Armored Brigade's 52nd Battalion was severely wounded in the northern Gaza Strip and a reserves medic of the 261st Brigade's 6261st Reconnaissance Unit was gravely injured in the Gaza border region.