IDF Raid Targets Hamas Terrorist Who Killed Israeli Brothers

Latest Developments

Israeli forces on Tuesday killed a Palestinian wanted for killing two brothers, Hallel and Yagel Yaniv, in a February 26 gun ambush near the flashpoint West Bank village of Huwara. Concurrently, Israel captured two other Palestinians, sons of the assailant, for assisting their father in carrying out the ambush. The murder of the Israeli brothers had triggered a revenge riot by Israelis in Huwara and intensified international scrutiny of the combustible situation there and elsewhere in the West Bank. With Ramadan two weeks away, Israel is bracing for more Palestinian violence.

Expert Analysis

“Israel has demonstrated, yet again, the swiftness and precision with which it can deliver justice to its citizens in the face of terrorism. That the Huwara gunman was hiding in Jenin, a bastion of Palestinian armed factions, suggested he thought foreign censure of recent Israeli actions there might make it a safe haven.” — Mark Dubowitz, FDD CEO

“Since the Yaniv brothers were murdered, Huwara has become a hotbed of Israeli-Palestinian recrimination and street violence. Having closed its account with the brothers’ murderer, Israel should move fast to stabilize the situation in the village and restore a semblance of normal life for both communities.” — Joe Truzman, Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal

A Surgical Operation

The fugitive terrorist, a Hamas member from Nablus, was among at least six Palestinians killed in a clash that erupted as Israeli troops closed in on his hideout in the nearby city of Jenin. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the operation as “surgical,” suggesting all the Palestinian casualties had taken part in the gunbattle. According to an IDF statement, Palestinian armed suspects fired at Israeli troops using an ambulance as a shield.

U.S. Calls for Calm

While hosting Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi on Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken “expressed concern regarding the continuing violence in Israel and the West Bank and emphasized the need for all parties to take steps to restore calm and de-escalate tensions,” according to a State Department readout of the meeting.

Related Analysis

“Israel, Palestinians Reaffirm Need to Work Together,” FDD Flash Brief

“Why the West Bank is in chaos,” by Jonathan Schanzer and Joe Truzman

“Mapping Terrorism in the West Bank,” by Joe Truzman