An Israeli officer, who was seriously wounded in a shootout between Israeli forces and Palestinian gunmen in the northern West Bank, succumbed to his wounds in Rambam Medical Campus in Haifa on Friday.
The officer, who was shot during a raid on a terror suspect’s home in the town of Burqin in the Jenin area, was identified as Sergeant Major Noam Raz of Israel Police's elite counterterror unit Yamam. Raz, 47, was on the force for 23 years and is survived by his wife and their six children.
According to the Palestinians, 11 people were hurt in the shootout in the town of Brukin on the outskirts of Jenin, including Daoud Zubeidi — brother of notorious terrorist commander Zakaria Zubeidi — who sustained serious injuries after being struck in the abdomen by a bullet.
Zakaria Zubeidi is one of six Palestinian prisoners who escaped from the maximum-security Gilboa Prison last year and were caught after a long manhunt.
Palestinian reports said Israeli forces surrounded the home of a suspect and called on everyone inside to surrender. The Islamic Jihad terror group identified the suspect, Mohammad al-Dab’i, as a member of its military wing.
Israeli security forces clash with Palestinian gunmen during a counterterror raid in the northern West Bank
Footage from the scene showed soldiers and militants exchange fire, and a cloud of smoke was seen billowing from the home of Dab’i, who was ultimately arrested alongside several other suspects.
The military wing of Islamic Jihad in Jenin has warned that Israel bears responsibility for Dab’i life, and has promised Israel will pay a price for harming its operatives.
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said that besides the elite police anti-terror unit, IDF and Shin Bet forces were also involved in the raid.
Israeli troops encircled the house for long hours and some of its occupants came out of it with their hands raised. Others holed up in the house until security forces closed in on them by various means.
This is the first time Israeli security forces have operated in the Jenin area since the death of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh who was killed in a firefight between IDF forces and Palestinian militants in the northern West Bank city on Wednesday.
Israel has been conducting recurring counterterrorism sweeps across the Jenin area, which has become a bastion of terrorist activity that has led to some of the deadly attacks that have claimed the lives of 19 Israelis over the past two months.
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Palestinian gunmen open fire during shootout with Israeli forces in the northern West Bank
(Photo: AFP)
Earlier on Friday, Israeli troops opened fire at a Palestinian who threw a cinderblock at a passing Israeli vehicle in the West Bank.
The terrorist also tried to open the doors of the vehicle before being shot. He was moderately injured, and a search of his person revealed he had a knife and a bottle of acid in his possession.
There were no other casualties in the incident.
First published: 13:57, 05.13.22