The senior terrorist belonged to the Tanzim group associated with the PA’s ruling Fatah faction.
By World Israel News Staff
The IDF arrested a senior operative of the Tanzim terror group — associated with the Palestinian Authority’s ruling Fatah party — in a raid in the Jenin refugee camp on Wednesday.
The terrorist, Muhammad Naghnaghiya, is suspected of playing a role in several terror attacks in Judea and Samaria in recent months, the IDF said.
Following the raid, an image of the terrorist accompanying the notorious Al Aqsa Brigades commander Zakaria Zubeidi in the early 2000s was published on Palestinian media sites. Zubeidi was released by Israel in a 2007 amnesty deal, but was detained again a decade later.
While awaiting trial, Zubeidi fled Gilboa Prison exactly two years ago along with five other terrorists serving life sentences. The group was apprehended weeks later by Israeli forces following a lengthy manhunt.
The raid to apprehend Naghnaghiya comes less than two days after another IDF operation in Jenin during which three Hamas operatives were apprehended. Israeli troops came under enemy fire during the raid. A total of nine terrorists were detained in operations across Judea and Samaria on Wednesday.
Since the beginning of the year, 27 civilians and three soldiers have been murdered by Palestinian terrorists. According to the Times of Israel, 180 Palestinians – most of them terrorists attempting to carry out attacks against Jewish civilians – have been killed by Israeli troops during that time.