The Israeli police and military on Wednesday released footage from a deadly shootout between Israeli forces and Palestinian terrorists in the northern West Bank city of Jenin in which at least four Palestinian gunmen were killed and several others were wounded.
During the firefight Wednesday morning, which was recorded both by soldiers’ helmet cameras and by an IDF drone, the terrorists used explosive charges against the forces and tried to escape.
Helmet camera footage of Israeli raid and fierce firefight in Jenin
(Video: Israel Police, IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)
According to the military, one of the terrorists, Abed Hazem — the brother of a slain terrorist who killed three in a shooting attack in Tel Aviv last April — and his accomplices planned "significant attacks against Israel in the near future."
The other suspects were identified as Muhammed Alownah, who was responsible for a series of shooting attacks against Israelis on the West Bank with Hazem; Ahmed Alawneh, a member of the Palestinian Authority security apparatus; and Muhammad Abu Na’asa.
The troops also seized an M-16 automatic rifle that belonged to one of the gunmen.
Senior Palestinian official Hussein al-Sheikh, who is next in line to head the Palestinian Authority after Abbas, dubbed the IDF operation in Jenin a "major crime."
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Armed Palestinian militants at funeral of one of terrorists killed in IDF raid in Jenin
(Photo: AFP)
"The Israeli government bears responsibility for these crimes and their consequences," he said. "We call on the international community to take responsibility and protect the Palestinian people," he said.
The fierce fighting ended with no casualties on the Israeli side.
IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi held a special situation assessment at the Central Command in Jerusalem following the morning raid and subsequent unrest across several locations throughout the West Bank.
"This morning we carried out another complex operation in the Jenin refugee camp, which was carried out with determination and professionalism, and whose purpose was to thwart a concrete threat," he said.
Earlier, the IDF reported two separate shooting incidents on the West Bank outside Nablus and near Jenin. The military also arrested three men suspected of terror activity in separate raids.