Israeli security forces seen during an Israeli military raid in Tulkarem, in the West Bank, May 6, 2024 (Photo: Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90).
An Israeli soldier was killed and another seriously wounded when their armored vehicle was hit by an IED explosion during an anti-terror operation on Monday in the Nur a-Shams camp near Tulkarm in northwestern Samaria, the IDF said.
The fallen soldier was identified as 22-year-old Yehuda Geto, a resident of Pardes Hanna-Karkur. He served as the operational driver of the force. Another soldier of the Commando Brigade sustained serious injuries in the attack.
At the time of the explosion, only the two soldiers were inside an IDF “Panther” vehicle, which was parked on the side of a road not suspected to be rigged with explosives.
2/ West Bank: Palestinian militia groups in the West Bank appear to be strengthening at the expense of the Palestinian Authority. The Palestinian Authority’s inability to exert effective control over refugee camps in the West Bank has significant implications for the post-war… pic.twitter.com/VvksYNHTzh
— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) July 2, 2024
During similar operations, before Israeli troops advance, large IDF engineering vehicles typically peel away the asphalt on streets suspected of concealing hidden IEDs.
Early on Monday morning, IDF troops of the Menashe Brigade began operating in the camp that is known as a terrorist hotspot.
The vehicle was stationary at the time of the attack, which took place shortly after most of the soldiers had begun their advance on foot, according to Army Radio.
Only the driver and a commander of the Duvdevan Unit stayed behind and were hit by the explosion.
Shortly afterward, there was a fire exchange with armed terrorists, during which an IDF drone fired a missile at hostiles in the area, which didn’t explode.
Several terrorists then approached the unexploded ordnance and tampered with it, causing an explosion that resulted in the death of a local Palestinian woman.
In addition, Duvdevan soldiers shot and killed a 15-year-old terrorist who shot at them.
According to an initial investigation, the explosive charge was self-made, consisting of an exceedingly large amount of dozens of kilos of explosives. The charge was also placed at a short depth under the street pavement, causing more substantial damage.
Last week, another Israeli soldier died and 17 were wounded in similar circumstances when several IEDs exploded during an IDF operation in Jenin.
Since Oct. 7, the IDF has markedly stepped up its counter-terror activity in Judea and Samaria, which has seen larger-scale operations than before the war, including the use of airstrikes, which were rarely used before.
לוחמי צה”ל, שב”כ ומג”ב פעלו הלילה למעצר 15 מבוקשים ברחבי יהודה ושומרון; בבלאטה שבשכם הושמדו שתי מחרטות לייצור אמצעי לחימה, יחד עם חלקי נשק שאותרו במקום.
בבלאטה שבשכם עצרו הכוחות מבוקש והשמידו שתי מחרטות לייצור אמצעי לחימה, יחד עם חלקי נשק שאותרו במקום>> pic.twitter.com/VGzOciWBOe
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) July 2, 2024
On Tuesday, the IDF said its troops arrested 15 wanted suspects throughout Judea and Samaria overnight and, in other operations, found weapons and destroyed two lathes for weapon production in Nablus.
On Sunday, an IDF drone strike eliminated a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) commander and wounded five others in the Nur a-Shams camp.
PIJ later said Saeed Jaber was “one of the founders and most prominent leaders” of its local wing in Tulkarm, while the IDF said he was second-in-command of PIJ’s Tulkarm wing.
Jaber was reportedly responsible for several attacks against IDF soldiers and civilians, according to the IDF and the Shin Bet.
תצפיתניות מיחידה 636 זיהו הלילה שלושה חשודים שחצו את הגדר במרחב חטיבת הבקעה והעמקים. לאחר סריקות במרחב, לוחמי יחידת מתיל״ן של מג״ב איו״ש וכוחות צה״ל מגדוד 47 איתרו שלושה תיקים ובהם למעלה מ-75 אקדחים ועשרות חלקי נשקים>> pic.twitter.com/pAlZSNuuv5
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) July 1, 2024
On Monday, the IDF also announced it had busted one of the largest weapons shipments in the Jordan Valley in the recent past, confiscating dozens of weapons.
Observers of IDF Unit 636 identified three suspects who crossed the border fence from Jordan to Israel during the night.
After searching the area, fighters of the Border Police and the IDF located three bags containing over 75 guns and dozens more weapon parts. Extensive searches for the suspects are ongoing.
Since the start of the war, around 4,150 suspects have been arrested by the IDF in Judea and Samaria, of whom about 1,750 are known affiliates of the Hamas terrorist organization.
Last month, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also serves in the Defense Ministry, urged the government to take more drastic action in Judea and Samaria after Hamas terrorists from Samaria fired into central Israel twice within a week.
“Terrorism must be eradicated everywhere, even if it means Tulkarem will look like Gaza looks today,” Smotrich demanded.
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