Hamas terrorist (Photo: Anas-Mohammed/ Shutterstock )
Following the targeted killing from the air of the terrorist cell heading toward a planned attack, security forces initiated an offensive operation to counter terrorism in Tulkarem. During the operation, aerial strikes neutralized an armed terrorist cell that had fired upon Israeli forces in the Tulkarem area. Numerous weapons were found on the slain terrorists.
In the IDF and Shin Bet’s targeted operation early yesterday morning, five terrorists were killed, including:
- Hatem Balidi: A key Hamas operative in Tulkarem, Balidi was part of the cell responsible for the attacks that killed Reserve Sergeant Major Elchanan Ariel Klein, who was murdered in a terror attack near the settlement of Einav in the Menashe Brigade area, and YAMAM officer Captain Yitav Levy, who died from his wounds after being critically injured during an encounter with terrorists in Tulkarem. Balidi was also responsible for numerous terror attacks throughout Judea and Samaria, which injured Israeli civilians.
- A’a Ghaber Saba’a: A member of the terror infrastructure in the Nur al-Shams camp, involved in numerous shooting and bomb attacks against Israeli settlements, including Bat Hefer, Avnei Hefetz, and Einav.
- Ali Khalil and Jamal Abu Haneya: The perpetrators of the murder of Amnon Mukhtar, who was killed in Qalqilya.
The IDF noted that recent months have seen cooperation between the Hamas infrastructure in Tulkarem and additional terrorists in Nur al-Shams, aiming to carry out terror attacks against Israeli targets.