After a brief West Bank operation, Israeli troops detained eight wanted Palestinians during overnight raids, the army said Tuesday morning, as the manhunt continued for several terrorists who recently killed three Israelis. Was.
Violence escalated after two Israeli brothers from the West Bank settlement of Har Bracha were shot dead in the nearby Palestinian town of Huwara on Sunday. Settlers seeking revenge rampaged through the community hours later, further exacerbating the volatile situation. One Palestinian was killed and hundreds of others were injured amid the violence.
On Monday night, an Israeli-American was killed in a shooting near Jericho and several other attacks targeting Israeli civilians caused no serious injuries.
The attackers who opened fire in Huwara, Halel Yaniv (21) and Yagel Yaniv (19), are believed to have been killed in one of the Palestinian towns in the area. while the gunmen who killed 27-year-old Israeli-American Ellen GanellasJericho fled the area after the police attempted to engage them.
The Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday morning that troops detained eight suspects during overnight raids in the West Bank, the first such operation in nearly a week.
The IDF’s night raids have come to a halt since a major raid in the West Bank city of Nablus last week, and before and after a Jordan-hosted meeting between Israeli and Palestinian officials on Sunday aimed at restoring peace in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
As early as February 28, 2023, Israeli troops operated in the West Bank. (Israel Defense Forces)
The army said soldiers detained four wanted Palestinians at the Al-Arab refugee camp near Hebron; three in Yabed, a town near Jenin; and an additional terrorist suspect in Idhna, a town in the southern West Bank.
None of the detainees were thought to be related to the recent shooting attacks.
Eight suspects were handed over to the Shin Bet Security Agency for further questioning.
Military officials believe the escalating violence will continue into the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins in late March.
Major General Yehuda Fuchs, head of the IDF’s Central Command, told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a security briefing that the Huwara rampage would spiral the situation out of control, Channel 13 News reported.
Crowds of settlers look on as cars and houses fire in the West Bank city of Huwara on February 26, 2023. (courtesy)
Fuchs told Netanyahu, “One more night of riots like that, and we’ll reach a point of no return.”
In security discussions with Netanyahu, Shin Bet head Ronen Bar said, “We all went through an intifada, but no one went through an intifada that had online incitement, which makes riots even more dangerous.”
Defense Minister Yoav Galant issued orders on Monday to prepare for an escalation of tensions in Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, among other areas.
Tension has also increased between Israeli soldiers and extremist settlers.
The IDF said about a group of settlers pelting stones at Israeli forces in the West Bank attempted to run over an officer In a separate incident on Sunday from the vehicle on Monday night, the IDF said a senior officer was attacked by a group of settlers near the West Bank settlement of Rimonim.
The IDF was prepared for further violence against the settlers.
This photo taken on February 27, 2023 shows a view of burnt cars and a building in the city of Huwara near Nablus in the West Bank. (Photo by Ronaldo Schmidt / AFP)
There is also pressure on the authorities to arrest the culprits of the Huwara riots after the US said Israel is expected to prosecute Attackers and compensation to Palestinian victims for damages.
Israeli authorities said they arrested eight suspects following Sunday’s settler attack but released six of them.
Violence has escalated in the West Bank since Sunday’s killing of the Yaniv brothers as they were driving through Huwara.
A preliminary investigation into Sunday’s shooting suggested the gunman took advantage of a traffic jam on the Route 60 highway, which runs through the Palestinian city, to carry out the attack while the car was stopped.
Brothers Hallel (left) and Yagel Yaniv, who were killed in a terror attack in the West Bank city of Huwara on February 26, 2023. (courtesy)
Hours later, a number of settlers set out for revenge. ransacked through HuwaraDozens of vehicles and several private houses were set on fire.
A Palestinian man, Sameh Aktash, 37, was killed by gunfire during the stampede under unclear circumstances. Aktash’s relatives say he was shot by IDF soldiersWhile a military official said Israeli soldiers were not involved in the firing
Following the attack and subsequent riots in Huwara, the army reinforced the West Bank with an additional four infantry battalions.
on Monday, Israeli-American Ellen GanellasWhile driving to Israel for a wedding, he was shot and killed near Jericho.
Alain Ganelles killed in a terrorist shootout in the West Bank on February 27, 2023. (Courtesy of the Consulate General of Israel in New York)
According to the IDF, during the attack, two gunmen arrived in a car on the Route 90 highway near the Nevo military base and opened fire on the vehicle.
The IDF said the terrorists then continued driving and opened fire on another car near the Beit Harwa junction and fired on a third car nearby. The passengers in those vehicles were not hurt.
The IDF and police said the gunmen opened fire on their car as they fled towards Jericho. The IDF said it was conducting searches and setting up barricades in the area.
Haim Terbelsi said it was one of the vehicles that was targeted north of the Dead Sea.
“I was sitting in the back, sprawled out on the back seat. Suddenly I heard gunshots,” he told reporters at the scene. “I felt the bullets go through my body, I felt heat on my neck, I shouted, ‘Gun shot!'”
His friend, who was driving the vehicle, said, “I automatically hit the brakes and while firing, the terrorists’ vehicle passed by us and disappeared.”
Bruno Zarmati said he heard gunshots while driving into another car that had been targeted.
“I thought the sound was gravel that flew. At the same time, I saw a man come out of the car window and shoot at us, and I said, ‘They’re shooting, get down.’ They could have easily killed us,” Jaramati told Ynet.
One of his family members, Yoel Zarmati, said he stopped the car after the shooting and called the police.
“I saw that everyone was fine, then I realized that we were not in a good place on the road. I was scared that they would come back,” he said.
Israeli security forces at the scene of a shooting attack in the Jordan Valley near the West Bank city of Jericho on February 27, 2023. (Eric Marmor/Flash90)
In another attack on Monday night, an Israeli family came under fire while driving near the Palestinian town of Qusra, military and medical workers said.
A car moving between the settlement of Qusra and Migdalim was hit by at least four bullets. The miscreants fled from the spot after firing at a vehicle passing by.
The Rescuers Without Borders emergency service said the driver, a young woman, had only minor injuries after suffering a scratch on her arm, apparently from shards of glass. Her three young children received psychiatric care in the car.
In Jerusalem, attackers threw firebombs at the home of a Jewish family in the Abu Tor neighborhood, injuring no one.
In recent months, Palestinian gunmen have repeatedly targeted military posts and civilians along the West Bank security barrier, Israeli settlements and on the streets.
Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians have been high over the past year, with the IDF conducting overnight raids in the West Bank amid a series of deadly Palestinian terrorist attacks.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.