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PA security officers, Islamic Jihad terrorist killed in Jenin in clash with IDF

Islamic Jihad terrorist, two Palestinian security officers shot and killed when arrest operation goes awry.

By Paul Shindman, World Israel News

Palestinian media reported Thursday that an Islamic Jihad terrorist and two Palestinians security officers were killed in the city of Jenin during an IDF arrest operation.

Palestinians reported that a special IDF force entered the city of 50,000 in northern Samaria overnight to arrest two wanted members from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group who were in the area near the Jenin local headquarters of the Palestinian Authority security forces.

During the arrest, an exchange of gunfire broke out with the wanted men and PA security officers also opened fire on the Israeli troops. The IDF returned fire, killing two PA officers identified as Capt. Taysir Mahmoud Issa, 33, and Lt. Adham Taysir Aliwi, 23.

The dead terrorist was identified as Palestinian Islamic Jihad member Jamil Al-Amouri. A second terrorist identified as Wissam Abu Zeid was wounded in the firefight and arrested.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that several other people were wounded and taken to the local hospital for treatment.

Palestinian sources said that the Israeli special unit members entered Jenin in private vehicles to carry out the arrest, during which the gunfire erupted. Videos uploaded to social media show locals crouching in the street as automatic weapons fire is heard in the background.

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There was no statement from the IDF, while the office of PA leader Mahmoud Abbas “condemned the dangerous Israeli escalation that led to the martyrdom of two officers of the Military Intelligence and a freed prisoner in Jenin,” and warned there would be “repercussions.”

Hamas terror group spokesman Fawzi Barhoum issued a statement calling the opening of fire by the Palestinian security officers “a brave and heroic act.”

In the past, Hamas has criticized the PA for cooperating with Israeli security forces – mostly to arrest Hamas operatives in Judea and Samaria – and said shooting at the IDF “is the real and required exercise of the role of the [Palestinian] security services in the West Bank in protecting and defending our people, and that this spirit of resistance struggle must be strengthened, escalated, and continued.”

The Al Hadath news website noted that while Israel regularly carries out raids in Judea and Samaria that target “Palestinian militants,” ‘it rarely engages with the security forces of the Palestinian Authority.