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2 terrorists killed in Jenin gun battle, Hamas calls for revenge

Palestinian Islamic Jihad operative, member of al-Aqsa Martyr’s Brigade were reportedly killed in gun battle with Israeli security forces.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

Two Palestinian terrorists based in Jenin were killed by IDF forces on Monday evening during a gun battle, sparking calls from Hamas for revenge and a “day of rage” throughout Palestinian Authority-controlled cities in Judea and Samaria and Gaza on Tuesday.

Arabic-language media identified the two slain men as Abdullah al-Hosari and Shadi Najm. A Hamas-affiliated outlet posted cellphone footage of al-Hosari firing at Israeli security forces on social media.

Najm was reportedly a member of the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, and al-Hosari was affiliated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad. A third man also believed to be a PIJ operative, Abadeh al-‘Aul, was injured in the clash.

In a statement, Israeli Border Police said they had entered Jenin in order to arrest a terror suspect and were met with heavy gunfire from locals. The army used “riot dispersal means and live fire” to repel the mob, during which time al-Hosari and Najm were killed.

Some 150 Palestinians surrounded Israeli security forces as they departed Jenin, throwing Molotov cocktails, an improvised grenade and stones, the Border Police said.

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Despite the clashes, the Israeli army successfully arrested Imad Abu Al-Hija, the son of a senior Hamas figure in Jenin, who is currently serving nine life sentences in an Israeli prison.

No Israeli security forces were injured in the clash.

In response to the slayings, Hamas demanded a “day of rage,” urging Palestinians to take to the streets and confront Israeli security forces at checkpoints.

On Saturday, a gunman reportedly shot at high-ranking PIJ member Khader Adnan in the city of Shechem (Nablus), although the exact location of the attack was not made public.

But despite an eyewitness identifying another member of the terror group as the assailant, secretary-general of PIJ Ziad Al-Nakhala told Arabic-language media that Israel was the perpetrator.

“The Israeli Shin Bet is behind this incident. An attack on Adnan is like an attack on the Islamic Jihad movement,” Al-Nakhala said.

“We will respond according to this assumption.”

Abu Ali Express reported that another unnamed PIJ official said that the shooting “only serves the occupation,” dismissing the idea that it could have been triggered by internal rivalries within the terror group.