Officer injured in fire-fight between security forces, Palestinians in Jenin
Reports from both Hamas and Islamic Jihad allege that six Palestinians were killed during the raid, with a leading Islamic Jihad figure in the West Bank among the fatalities.
By JPOST.COM STAFF, YAAKOV LAPPINUpdated: SEPTEMBER 1, 2015 11:18Palestinians, IDF soldier wounded during West Bank raid
A member of Israel's police special forces was moderately injured Monday night during an operation carried out in the West Bank city of Jenin.According to reports, IDF forces, alongside operators from the Shin Bet and police, descended upon a facility believed to be occupied by suspected terrorists, and in the midst of the siege, a fire-fight erupted.The officer was evacuated to Rambam medical center in Haifa, where he was determined to be in moderate to stable condition. After being given preliminary treatment, he was rushed to the operation room for surgery on his lower body. An investigation has been opened to determine if the soldier was injured by friendly fire, reported Israel radio.Reports from the official television channel of Palestinian Islamic Jihad assert that the IDF raid in Jenin targeted the home of Sheik Basem Sa'adi, a leading Islamic Jihad figure in the West Bank.Meanwhile, separate reports from Hamas media contend that two Hamas figures, Majdi Abu al-Hija and Ibrahim Jaber were also the target of the operation, with al-Hija allegedly being detained during the incident.Both groups report that, as a result of the gun battle, six Palestinians, including Sa'adi were killed, while another two militants escaped to a nearby hospital.The IDF is has not confirmed any details concerning casualties and fatalities other than the injured officer.Last week, an axe-wielding Palestinian man approached a group of Border Police officers near Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City, yelling and attacking the security forces.While the officers worked to neutralize the suspect, he managed to stab one Border Police officer and lightly wound him in the leg.Security forces arrested the suspect.
The attack was the latest in a series of terrorist acts carried out against members of the security forces in Jerusalem and the West Bank over the last month.On August 17, a Palestinian terrorist stabbed and lightly wounded a Border Police officer at the Tapuah junction.The Border Police said the assailant approached the officers at the checkpoint and told them he was not feeling well. The officers told the man to halt, but he continued to approach them, then pulled out a knife and stabbed an officer, lightly wounding him. The statement said the officer managed to push away the attacker and his partner opened fire, critically wounding the terrorist.The attacker was treated at the scene by IDF medics, but died of his wounds, the army confirmed.Two days prior to that attack, a Palestinian man lightly wounded a Border Police officer at a checkpoint on the highway near the Palestinian village of Huwara. The attacker was shot and killed by other border policemen at the scene.On the same day, a Palestinian terrorist asked a soldier for a cup of water at a checkpoint on Highway 443 near Beit Horon, and then stabbed the soldier after he turned his back, lightly wounding him.