Terrorist leader killed in a Samaria raid

Israel vowed to eliminate Hamas, targeting all areas where terrorists operate, including Jenin and Nablus.

By Mindy Rubenstein, World Israel News

Four Palestinian Arab terrorists, including a terrorist leader, were killed during an IDF raid in Samaria overnight.

Israeli troops on Monday bulldozed Jenin’s iconic gate, a place terrorists notoriously posed for photos in the Palestinian Authority-administered city in Samaria, during a series of raids in the area.

Jenin serves as a significant hub for terrorists and has been the focus of previous military incursions, including a large-scale operation in July targeting the local Islamic Jihad group.

The focus of this week’s military operation included locating and killing terrorist leaders, as well as disarming explosive devices hidden under streets, a booby-trapped command room, and a vehicle containing ammunition and military gear, according to the IDF.

The military operation in Jenin resulted in the deaths of four terrorists, including a senior leader. Wiam Iyad Hanoun, 27, was known as a founder of the Islamic Jihad offshoot Jenin Brigade. Other terrorists killed include Amir Abdullah Sharbaji, 25; Nawras Ibrhaim Zidane Bajawi, 28; and Musa Khaled Jayarin, 23.

Elite Israeli infantry units led the operation, including Haruv, Duchifat, and Duvdevan, along with Border Police officers and soldiers from the Yahalom combat engineering unit.

The IDF also conducted a raid in Shechem (Nablus), leading to the arrest of a senior Hamas member, Nasr al-Din al-Sha’ar, at his home.

The IDF reported that they apprehended 51 wanted Palestinian terrorists throughout Samaria, including 38 Hamas members.

On October 7, thousands of Hamas terrorists poured from Gaza into Israel, including massive rocket fire, killing more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping 230 more.

In response, Israel launched an offensive aimed at destroying Hamas’s infrastructure and vowing to eliminate the entire terror group, the IDF leaders said, targeting all areas where Hamas operates while seeking to minimize civilian casualties.

Since the start of the war, at least 1,030 wanted Palestinians, including around 700 affiliated with Hamas, have been arrested in Judea and Samaria.