Explosive device detonates in Tulkarm
Five soldiers were injured Thursday morning after their vehicle was hit by a grenage while leaving an arrest operation in Tulkarm at around 5:30 a.m. Three of the soldiers were seriously injured, and two others were slightly to moderately injured. TThey were evacuated to four area hospitals.
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Israeli security forces arrested a wanted man overnight between Wednesday and Thursday in Tulkarm in the northwestern West Bank. During the operation, there were exchanges of fire between the Israel Defense Forces soldiers and the terrorists, and IEDs were used against the forces. Toward morning, the forces left the city and, according to the IDF spokesman, the exchanges of fire continued as they were leaving; injuries were detected among the terrorists. The grenade had been thrown by the forces at Palestinian gunmen, and was either thrown back or ricocheted back.
A short time later, terrorists opened fire from a vehicle toward the settlement of Avni Hefetz in Samaria. There were no casualties. An IDF force from a Golani patrol chased the car, and during the arrest attempt there was an exchange of gunfire and two of the terrorists were killed. There were no casualties among the soldiers.
During the night, hundreds of Jewish worshipers entered Joseph's Tomb under heavy IDF security, while at the same time dozens of Palestinians rioted and burned tires on the spot. Later, explosive devices were used against the forces that secured the entrance of the 40 buses to the compound, and an IDF soldier was slightly injured.
In addition, near the village of Azzun in the northern West Bank, terrorists threw a Molotov cocktail at an Israeli bus, which was not damaged. Two suspects were arrested. IDF forces also broke up clashes between settlers and Palestinians near Maale Levon in the Binyamin area, after Palestinians threw stones at Israeli vehicles. In another case yesterday, the IDF blocked the Huwara highway for Palestinians for three hours following incidents of stone throwing at Israeli vehicles on the road.
About two weeks ago, in another raid in the Nur Shams refugee camp near Tulkarm, two terrorists who threw explosives at the forces were killed and an IDF soldier was moderately injured by shrapnel. The forces then uncovered dozens of IEDs buried in the ground, including a large explosive device and seized dozens of other weapons hidden in warehouses.
Exchange of fire between security forces and terrorists in Tulkarm
The forces also uncovered raw materials for the production of large and deadly explosive devices and a military vehicle with cameras and monitors, which were destroyed. The security forces also found surveillance equipment and computers as well as dozens of ready-to-use explosives and explosives connected to gas cylinders.