IDF soldier killed, 3 wounded during gun battle with terrorists in Jenin

The IDF identified the fallen soldier as Staff Sgt. Elkana Navon, 20, a squad commander in the Bislamach Brigade’s 906th Battalion. 

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

As the raid on Jenin continued, one IDF soldier was killed, and three were wounded battling terrorists.

The IDF identified the fallen soldier as Staff Sgt. Elkana Navon, 20, a squad commander in the Bislamach Brigade’s 906th Battalion, from Petah Tikva.

Israel’s raid on Northern Samaria began on Wednesday with an increased focus on Jenin after completing its mission in Tulkarem and the Far’a camp near Tubas.

While engaged in the raid, the troops encountered two prominent Hamas terrorists and, after a gun battle, eliminated both of them.

During the battle, four Israeli soldiers were hit, including Navon, who succumbed to his wounds, and three other soldiers were wounded, including an officer who was seriously injured.

On Saturday, the IDF neutralized dozens of explosives that were planted alongside the road.

During an assessment of the Jenin operation, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said, “We are dismantling the terrorism that comes from the refugee camps in Judea and Samaria.”

Late on Friday, two terrorists were killed in two separate incidents in Gush Etzion.

In the first, a car exploded at a gas station in an attempted car bombing attack.

IDF troops shot the terrorist dead after he got out of the car and tried to attack them.

In the second incident, a terrorist in a car attempted to ram a security guard while he tried to infiltrate the Karmei Tzur settlement.

The car was chased by security and crashed, detonating an explosive device, Israel’s military said in a statement.

Israel security forces combed the area after the incident and carried out raids in Hebron where the terrorists were from.

During raids in Jenin, Palestinian civilians said they had no water because the pipes had been damaged as Israel’s security neutralized explosives terrorists from the refugee camps planted on the side of the road.

The IDF has denied allegations that it has deliberately cut off supplies and access to hospitals and says it has allowed ambulances to go through while searching areas for terrorists.

Jenin is known to be an area with a high concentration of terrorists, requiring raids and operations from time to time.

IDF casualtiesIDF injuriesJenin