The IDF announced on Wednesday night that Yamam (National Counter-Terrorism Unit) and ISA (Shin Bet) forces apprehended terrorist Ayman Ghanam from a hospital in Nablus.
Ghanam, a member of the terror cell behind the deadly August shooting that claimed the life of Yonatan Deutsch and injured 32-year-old Anas Jaramana, had been recovering from injuries sustained in an ISA-directed strike in Aqabah in the Jordan Valley just a day earlier.
After the unsuccessful elimination attempt, security forces captured Ghanam alive, marking a major breakthrough in dismantling the cell. According to the military, Ghanam had risen to lead the group and was actively planning further attacks against Israeli civilians since the August incident.
The military also confirmed that Abd al-Ra’uf Masri, another member of the same terror cell, was killed during an exchange of fire in early October. Masri, implicated in the same attack that killed Deutsch, was found with M-16 rifles, cartridges, and military equipment at the scene, underscoring his active involvement in ongoing terror activities.
The IDF previously reported the elimination of Wael Lahluh, who was killed in an ISA and IDF aerial strike earlier this week. At the time of his death, Lahluh was the leader of the terror cell responsible for Deutsch’s murder and had orchestrated several attacks in the Gilboa region.
