File image.
Early on September 26, Israeli forces carried out a series of raids in the West Bank targeting the members of a Hamas cell that was supposedly preparing to carry out an attack.
The raids were carried out by a joint force of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), Shin Bet security service, Israel Police and Border Police.
“Security forces operated tonight against Hamas terrorists who were about to carry out terror attacks in the immediate timeframe,” Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said commenting on the raids.
According to the IDF, four members of the cell were killed during the raids, which took place in Biddu, near Jerusalem, and outside Jenin.
At least 4 Palestinians reportedly killed during an overnight gun battle with Israeli troops in Burqin near Jenin, as the IDF conducted arrest operations against a local Hamas network. pic.twitter.com/xg8bcQcPyw
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) September 26, 2021
The Palestinian Authority Health Ministry reported five Palestinian casualties from the raids. The Hamas Movement acknowledged that the casualties included two fighters and a commander of its armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Another casualty was a fighter of the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
A poster commermorating the fallen members of Hamas, from right to left Zakaria Baduan, commander Ahmad Zahran, and Mahmoud Hmidan as well as al-Quds Brigades fighter Osama Subuh on the left side.
The fifth casualty was a Palestinian teenager, possibly a relative of the al-Quds Brigades fighter. It remains unclear how he was killed.
Palestinian media reports say the 5th Palestinian killed during the overnight gun battle in the West Bank, is Yousef Mohammed Sobah, 16. He was killed in Burqin near Jenin according to reports. pic.twitter.com/OO4yKUJlLV
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) September 26, 2021
Five guns were confiscated in the course of the raids, along with large amounts of ammunition. In the last few days, some 20 suspected members of the cell were arrested.
IDF releases images of an M16 rifle found in a suspect’s home, and a makeshift Carlo submachine gun a Palestinian gunman used during the gun battle in Burqin near Jenin overnight. pic.twitter.com/7QnZ5Pfa3Y
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) September 26, 2021
Israeli forces also sustained casualties. An officer and a solider of the IDF, both members of the Duvdevan counter-terrorism unit, were seriously injured during the raids. They were reportedly transported by helicopter to Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center for treatment.
Members of the Hamas cell are likely still on the loose, according to assessments by the IDF. The army also believes that the two wounded service members were hit by friendly fire.
The raids may lead to a new wave of protests in the West Bank, or to a military escalation in the Gaza Strip where both the Hamas Movement and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad are based.
