IDF and Shin Bet forces eliminated senior Islamic Jihad terrorist Ahmed Barakat who murdered Meir Tamari in May 2023 near the West Bank settlement of Hermesh and was behind the recent lure terror attack that injured seven soldiers.
Footage of IDF airstrike in Jenin
(Video: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
The IDF described Barakat as a "senior terrorist" in Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in the Jenin area, as was Muhammad Hawashin, who was also in the car but survived. Hawashin, according to the army, is the commander of the PIJ's Jenin branch. In the car were two other terrorists, Mohammed al-Fayid and Mohammed Raheil, who, according to Palestinians, were killed.
According to the IDF, Barakat and Hawashin were planning "significant terror attacks" against Israeli civilians. The two were behind the thwarted attempt to infiltrate Israel with an explosive device. That terrorist was captured last Monday in a dramatic arrest on his way to infiltrate Israel.
Barakat and Hawashin were also behind the lure attack on March 8 near the Homesh settlement in the West Bank, where terrorists opened fire on soldiers so they would chase them into a Palestinian village to a location where an explosive device was activated. Seven soldiers were injured in the explosion.
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IDF targets car with terrorists in Jenin refugee camp
(Photo: RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP)
"The IDF and the Shin Bet will continue to operate to remove all threats and infrastructure of terror that operate to carry out murderous attacks, as well as deal with those who harm Israeli civilians," a statement read.
Meir Tamari was murdered by Barakat just one day before his 32nd birthday. According to the investigation conducted after the attack, the terrorists murdered Tamari in a drive-by shooting before fleeing. Tamari, an electrician by profession, left behind his wife, Tal, and two children aged one and three.
The IDF recently began using airstrikes in the West Bank following the surge in terror attacks last year, even before the outbreak of the war. Since October 7, the use of airstrikes has significantly increased, with 45 recorded in the West Bank alone.
The defense establishment has significantly increased ground operations to suppress terrorism in refugee camps, and since the beginning of the war, about 3,500 wanted individuals have been arrested in the West Bank, including more than 1,500 linked to Hamas. About 350 terrorists were killed.