Israeli forces conducted a raid near the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday, resulting in the deaths of three Palestinians identified as members of a “terrorist cell,” according to police sources. The operation, which took place in the village of Kafr Qud, involved collaboration between the army and the elite counterterrorism unit, Yamam.
The Israeli police reported that during the operation, Yamam forces targeted a group believed to be planning an attack and affiliated with a terrorist organization active in the Jenin refugee camp. The police statement detailed how the forces spotted members of the group emerging from a cave, prompting snipers to open fire, which resulted in the deaths of the three individuals.
Following the shooting, the Israeli military carried out an airstrike on the cave, described as a “terrorist hideout,” to further dismantle the cell’s operations.
The Ramallah-based Palestinian health ministry later identified the deceased as Abdullah Mohammed Omar Jalamneh, Qais Ibrahim Mohammed Al-Beitawi, and Ahmed Azmi Aref Nashrati, all of whom were in their twenties. Visual footage captured by AFP depicted firefighters working to extinguish flames from a vehicle and nearby olive trees and showed onlookers sifting through personal belongings found inside the cave.
In response to the operation, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz commended the action, asserting that any attempts by terrorist organizations to restore their infrastructure in the region would be met with strong opposition. He emphasized that he had ordered the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to take all necessary measures, both on land and aerially, to eliminate threats in the territory.
This incident follows a broader trend of intensified military actions by the Israeli military in the West Bank. In the months leading up to this event, particularly after an escalation in violence linked to the war in Gaza, the Israeli military launched a large-scale campaign targeting several northern West Bank refugee camps. This operation was initiated shortly after a ceasefire was briefly established in Gaza.
The ongoing violence has had considerable human cost; according to the Palestinian health ministry, at least 988 Palestinians, including militants, have lost their lives due to Israeli military actions or settler violence since the onset of the Gaza conflict. Meanwhile, Israeli fatalities have also occurred, with official figures reporting at least 43 deaths, including soldiers, resulting from Palestinian attacks.
As the situation continues to evolve, tensions remain high in the West Bank, where numerous settlements exist, home to over 500,000 Israelis, amidst a backdrop of ongoing disputes and conflicts stemming from the Israeli occupation that began in 1967.
