Fighters of the Yamam special police force overnight Tuesday neutralized several terrorists who fired live ammunition at them and threw explosives and Molotov cocktails in Jenin, northern Samaria. The Israeli force’s armored vehicles suffered light damage, while six terrorists were injured and evacuated by Arab medical service.
WAFA, the official news agency of the Palestinian Authority, reported Tuesday morning that “six Palestinians were injured, one seriously, early today during clashes with Israeli forces in the occupied northern West Bank city of Jenin, according to Palestinian security sources. They told WAFA that Israeli forces and undercover units raided Jenin’s industrial zone sparking intense clashes with Palestinian youths. The soldiers opened live fire at the Palestinians injuring one seriously in the belly – he was rushed to a hospital in the city of Shechem, while the others were shot in the leg, stomach, and hand.”
The Yamam (Hebrew acronym for Centralized Special Unit) was established in late 1974 after the Ma’alot massacre, where a failed rescue operation by special forces resulted in the murder of 21 schoolchildren before the hostage takers were killed. It was then decided to establish an elite civilian force which develops and practices a special Close Quarters Battles (CQB) doctrine for counter-terrorism operations in friendly territory and hostage rescue. Over the years, the Yamam has evolved to become capable of both hostage-rescue operations and offensive take-over raids against targets in civilian areas. Besides military and counter-terrorism duties, it also performs SWAT duties and undercover police work.