Five Israeli Troops Wounded in West Bank Raid

Latest Developments

Five Israeli commandos were wounded in a Palestinian ambush on October 5 as they carried out a raid to capture an Islamic Jihad terrorist in the West Bank. The predawn operation in Tulkarm, which involved plainclothes special forces as well as regular military units, came amid warnings by Israel of increased Iranian efforts to foment Palestinian attacks against it from the West Bank and other fronts. 

While detaining a wanted Islamic Jihad operative, Israeli commandos came under a firearm and bomb ambush by Palestinian gunmen from the terrorist group as well as from Hamas. Five of the troops were wounded — one of them critically — by an explosion. Military officials said the explosion may have been caused by an Israeli grenade that fell short after being thrown at the Palestinian assailants. 

Separately, Israeli troops thwarted a Hamas drive-by shooting outside Tulkarm, killing two Palestinian gunmen in their car after a pursuit and exchange of fire.

Expert Analysis

“A year and a half into Operation Break the Wave, Israel has managed to blunt Palestinian terrorism in the West Bank with near-nightly interdiction operations. These are high-risk and, at times, entail Israeli casualties. The challenge for Israel is to maintain operational momentum while avoiding tactical predictability that would make its personnel vulnerable to ambush.” — Mark Dubowitz, FDD CEO

“Tulkarm was the site of a brief bid by Palestinian Authority security forces to impose order on August 30. They removed barricades that had been set up by local terrorists, who opened fire, and in the ensuing clash a Palestinian townsman was killed. When the supposedly legitimate authority encounters such difficulties during a simple enforcement operation, no one should be surprised when Israel is forced to take matters into its own hands.” — Joe Truzman, Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal

Related Analysis

“Hamas-Led Riots on Israel-Gaza Border Prompt IDF Counterattack,” FDD Flash Brief

“IDF Conducts Raid at House of Al-Aqsa Brigades Commander in Jenin,” FDD Flash Brief

“Gaza Fence Bombing Backfires, Killing Five Palestinians,” FDD Flash Brief