A Border Police officer was killed and three others were injured early on Sunday during an operation in the West Bank’s Jenin refugee camp, where at least terrorists were killed in an via an airstrike, according to Palestinian health officials.
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In a joint statement this morning the IDF and the police said that their forces conducted anti-terror operations in the refugee camp, during which an IDF Border Police vehicle was hit by an explosive charge set up the road used by the vehicle.
As a result, four Border Police were injured, with one in serious condition and three others in moderate and light conditions. The officers were evacuated to a hospital for treatment, but the police later announced that Sergeant Shai Germai succumbed to her wounds in the hospital.
Germai, 19, from Karmiel, enlisted into the Border Police in August 2022 and is survived by her parents and three siblings.
"She stood out during her initial training due to her professionalism and unique character," the Border Police said in a statement. "Following her training she was placed in the West Bank Brigade as an operational officer. Shai was the first to volunteer for any task and expected those around her to do their mission in the best way they could."
"Shai was a dedicated officer with a strong moral compass, full of joy and loved by others, always wearing a smile," the statement added.
The incident took place at the start of a planned operation by IDF reserve forces and the Border Police in the Jenin refugee camp. The troops that were injured were among the first to enter the area with the goal of exposing routes on which explosive devices were set. The force attempted to retreat after the explosion of several of the devices when one of the devices exploded near the troops’ vehicle.
A rescue operation then followed and took several hours. An IDF attack helicopter provided air support for the forces and fired toward “suspicious areas,” according to the joint statement. In addition, an IDF drone targeted a group of terrorists who threw explosives at the forces in another area of the Jenin refugee camp.
The statement noted that several terrorists were killed, and according to Palestinian reports, the number stands at least six dead.