The seven men approached soldiers after a clash in the town of Kabatia where two terrorists were eliminated.
By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News
A group of terrorists turned themselves in to IDF troops in Kabatia, near Jenin, on Wednesday after the soldiers had eliminated two Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) operatives in the town in a morning raid, Channel 12 reported Thursday.
Of the seven armed men, the report said, at least a few are also identified with PIJ, the Iranian proxy that Israel has been striking in the Gaza Strip since early Tuesday morning in Operation Shield and Arrow.
The report noted that it was unusual for terrorists in Judea and Samaria to surrender to Israeli forces. The most common practice is for operatives to hand themselves in to the Palestinian Authority’s security force, especially if they are being sought by the IDF. They are then held in custody in the prison in Jericho.
The men were immediately handed over to the Shabak for interrogation, initially suspected of being en route to an attack that was then aborted. The investigation will also check if they have been involved in previous attacks.
The pair of PIJ terrorists who were killed, Rani Walid and Ahmed Kamil, had approached the IDF forces in their car and then opened fire at the soldiers in addition to throwing explosives at them. The troops responded with fire of their own, killing the two suspects, who had reportedly been planning to commit an attack in Israel in support of the latest flare-up of hostilities between their terror organization and the IDF.
The IDF carried out several counter-terror operations in Judea and Samaria on Tuesday and Wednesday, due to the assessment that PIJ will try to stir up trouble for Israel on a second front while under attack in their center of power in Gaza.
During one of their overnight forays, one female soldier was hit by shrapnel and sustained a severe head injury when Palestinians in the village of Tubas exchanged fire with the troops. She was rushed to Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, where senior neurosurgeon Dr. Avital Perry said that “the next few days will be critical for her.”
A total of 29 wanted men were arrested, and a number of weapons were confiscated during the raids.