IDF operated in the village of Dan in the north of the West Bank on Wednesday night, from where the two terrorists who were involved in the clashes during which Major Bar Falah was killed.
The operation was led by the soldiers of the Nahal reconnaissance battalion, who lost the unit's deputy commander during a gunfight on early Wednesday morning.
The forces mapped the terrorists' houses in preparation for demolition, and arrested a relative of one of the terrorists. Disturbances developed at the scene, and in the exchange of fire, a Palestinian who threw molotov cocktails at operating forces was killed. According to Palestinian media, the slain Palestinian was 17-year-old Udai Salah.
At the same time as the clashes in Dan, arrests were also made in the villages of Rai and Geva. Two Palestinians were moderately injured and one was lightly injured, according to the IDF spokesperson unit.
In the coming days, the IDF's vigilance in the region is expected to reach its peak for fear that the success of Wednesday's attack will encourage other potential terrorists to carry out similar actions.
However, despite the criticism that the soldiers were forced to approach the terrorists because they were not identified as armed, no change is expected in the instructions to open fire.
The gunfight where Major Bar Falah was killed
The gunfight where Major Bar Falah was killed began around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night, when soldiers identified two suspects approaching the fence along the Seam Line near a military post near the village of Jalama, north of Jenin.
The suspects, who were not initially identified as being armed, approached within 15 meters of the fence and laid down.
Forces, including Falah and OC Menashe Brigade Col. Arik Moyal, were deployed to the area where the suspects had been identified. A Zik drone was rushed to the area but was not used.
The forces split into two, one led by Falah and the other by Moyal, in an attempt to surprise the gunmen, who then opened fire on troops who had approached within several meters.
The soldiers did not know that the suspects were armed until they opened fire on them around 2:30 a.m. and hit Falah, OC Judea and Samaria Division Brig.-Gen. Avi Bluth said.
The two gunmen were identified by Palestinian media as Ahmed Abed, an intelligence officer in the Palestinian Authority Security Forces, and Abdul Rahman Abed, from the village of Kafr Dan, near Jenin.
Fatah’s al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades took responsibility for the attack, saying both the shooters were members of the terrorist organization.
Anna Ahronheim contributed to this report.