IDF forces continued fighting in northern Samaria as part of Operation Iron Wall overnight Thursday, targeting terrorism in the Jenin area under the Menashe Brigade’s jurisdiction.
A senior military official in Judea and Samaria told Kan 11 on Thursday morning, the third day of Operation Iron Wall, that the operation was initiated alongside efforts by the Palestinian Authority security apparatus because additional action was necessary. “The security apparatus did what they could,” the official said.
He elaborated, “We employed a ruse to trap the terrorists within the Jenin refugee camp, leaving them no avenue of escape. Once we identified the need to neutralize the terrorists’ capabilities, we made the decision to act without waiting for any imminent attack plans to materialize.”
Guided by Shin Bet intelligence, the forces carried out a “pressure cooker” procedure on a building in the village of Burqin, near Jenin. Following an exchange of fire with two terrorists barricaded inside, the forces neutralized the targets. The two terrorists, Muhammad Nazal and Katiba Shelbi, residents of Qabatia and affiliated with the Islamic Jihad terror group, were involved in the January 6, 2025 shooting attack at al-Funduq, which claimed the lives of three Israeli civilians. During the operation, additional individuals who assisted in the attack were arrested and transferred to the Shin Bet for interrogation.
من المنتصر في #غزة???????
المنتصر الوحيد هو #نتنياهو فقط#حماس
مازالت تقامر وتتاجر بدماء الابرياء خدمة لمشاريع #ايران و #تركيا و #قطر و #الاخوان
و المعارضة الصهيونية
حتى اخر فلسطيني #اسرائيل لم تحقق كامل اهدافها لكن ماحصل يكفيها#وقف_اطلاق_النار #غزة #الضفة_الغربية #جنين pic.twitter.com/0fBfhAFE7f— ابو عبيدة?? (@kerookeroo55146) January 21, 2025
On Tuesday, following a surge in PA Arab terrorism in Judea and Samaria that culminated in the Al-Funduq shooting attack, and amid intelligence reports suggesting an escalation of terrorism in the Samaria region following the release of hundreds of security prisoners as part of the ceasefire deal with Hamas, Israeli security forces launched a military operation targeting terrorism in the Jenin refugee camp.
One of the terrorists due to be released as part of the deal with Hamas is Zakaria Zubeidi, a Jenin resident who claimed responsibility for the 2002 Beit She’an attack that killed 6 Jews. On February 27, 2019, Zubeidi was arrested and charged before an IDF court with carrying out at least two shooting attacks on civilian buses. On September 6, 2021, he escaped from the Gilboa Prison in Israel’s North, together with five other security prisoners. Five days later, on September 11, 2021, Zubeidi was caught near the Israeli village of Kfar Tavor.
An IDF source told Kan 11: “The operation in Jenin will not end soon. If Zubeidi takes up arms – he will be eliminated, there will be no difference between him and other terrorists. As soon as he is released, we will explain to him exactly what he is not allowed to do.”
According to IDF sources, the operation had been meticulously planned, triggered by “ticking bomb” threats in the area, and initiated four days after the Palestinian Authority’s unsuccessful attempt to negotiate with the Jenin terrorists.
In the month leading up to Operation Iron Wall, PA security forces conducted a sweeping operation in Jenin, arresting nearly 400 terrorists. Due to the sensitive nature of the situation, senior Israeli security officials coordinated with the Palestinian Authority, issuing clear directives before entering the Jenin refugee camp. This coordination led to the withdrawal of PA security forces to facilitate the operation.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, commenting on the operation’s launch, stated, “Under the direction of the political-security cabinet, the IDF, Shin Bet, and Israel Police have initiated a large-scale and significant military operation to eradicate terrorism in Jenin.”
According to WAFA, citing the Ministry of Health in Ramallah, as of Thursday morning, 13 PA Arabs were killed and 35 injured during the ongoing Israeli attack in Jenin. The 35 wounded were taken to Ibn Sina, Al-Amal, and Al-Shifa hospitals.
Meanwhile, according to WAFA, Israeli forces prevented the Palestine TV crew in Jenin from covering the fighting. As you may recall, Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot dead while covering an IDF raid in the Jenin “refugee” camp.
Palestine TV correspondent Amna Bilalo told WAFA that the soldiers “approached us while we were delivering a live message, and asked us to turn off the camera and withdraw from the place we were in, and they also prevented us from using mobile phones to film.”
Bilalo added, “The occupation soldiers pursued us until we reached the building where the TV office is located, and they threatened to storm it, and we expect our office to be stormed at any moment.”
Who says the army doesn’t learn from experience?
