A Palestinian militant was killed Monday in clashes with Israeli forces in the West Bank as troops continue their manhunt for a gunman who fled the scene of a shooting attack in the Jordan Valley a day earlier.
The IDF's Spokesperson's Unit said the troops operated in the West Bank in the pre-dawn hours as part of the continued manhunt for the third suspect in the shooting attack on a bus carrying Israeli soldiers.
The Israeli military said it encountered violent protests during its operation and responded to firebombs and rocks thrown at troops with live fire. It said 17 Palestinians were arrested overnight in raids throughout the West Bank.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said Taher Zakarneh, 19, was shot in the head, the foot and thigh in a town near the West Bank city of Jenin, a bastion of armed struggle against Israeli rule. The Islamic Jihad terror group said the teen was a member of the organization.
“The rioters hurled rocks, explosive devices and Molotov cocktails at the forces and shots were heard in the area. The soldiers responded with live fire, hits were identified,” said the IDF Spokesperson's Unit.
It added: “In addition, IDF soldiers operated in the town of Tubas as part of the efforts to locate the third assailant who carried out the shooting attack yesterday. No IDF troops injured. A total of 17 suspects were apprehended overnight.”
A preliminary probe into the shooting in the Jordan Valley revealed the terrorists who carries out the attack were part of a local terror cell, which received funding, gathered equipment and weapons, and planned the attack ahead of time.
Jordan Valley is considered an area of the West Bank where Israeli residents tend to feel safe, and opting to carry out the attack there is considered highly unusual. Security officials say they will examine if the location was picked in order to proliferate terror attacks to other places in the West Bank.
Additionally, authorities will examine whether the Jenin-based terror cell received aid from Palestinian residents in the Jordan Valley.
The IDF is said to fear “unplanned” copycat attacks in other parts of the West Bank.
“We’re experiencing the highest levels of violence since Operation Guardian of the Walls in 2021. Many terror attacks were foiled in 2022, but shootings from a moving vehicle is something we haven’t seen for a long time, especially in the Jordan Valley," said a military source said on Sunday.
Another terror attack was carried out on Sunday night, where four IDF soldier suffered minor injuries from shrapnel after an improvised explosive was thrown at their position in the West Bank.
Hamas is expected to try and escalate the situation during the coming months in order to inspire more Palestinians to carry out similar attacks. Hamas is expected to rile up Palestinians by connecting these events to the Muslim religion and the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
Hamas spokesman Abed Al-Latif Al-Kanua said Sunday: “The escalation in resistance operations in the West Bank means our rebellious people started a new phase of dealing with the occupation and its crimes against our people and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Confrontations will expand and move to different parts of the West Bank, and all attempts of the occupation to stop them will fail.”
Associated Press contributed to this report