Israeli Forces Kill 14 Terrorists in West Bank Raid

Latest Developments

Israeli forces killed 14 Palestinian terrorists during a 50-hour weekend raid in the West Bank, the Israeli military said on April 20. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) counterterrorism sweep into Nur Shams, near Tulkarm, began in the early hours of April 19. Nur Shams is a stronghold of the Tulkarm Brigade, a coalition of Palestinian terrorist groups. Special forces were assigned to root out local armed groups and their weapons and caches of explosives. Israeli forces discovered and razed a bomb factory and seized a number of small arms during the raid. Israeli troops also detained at least 15 wanted terrorist members.

Originally, Palestinian media reported that Israeli troops killed the commander of the Tulkarm wing of the Islamic Jihad, Muhammad Jaber, also known as Abu Shuja’a, but later footage showing Jaber at funeral processions for the other terrorists indicated that he was still alive.

Expert Analysis

“While sometimes overshadowed by the Gaza war, the more unruly precincts of the West Bank continue to pose no less of a national security threat to Israel. The frequent incursions there help prevent territory that abuts central Israel from turning into a launching pad for terrorist infiltration and shooting attacks.” — Mark Dubowitz, FDD CEO

“There is good news and bad news. The good news is that Palestinian terrorist organizations have not recently established new branches in the West Bank which can be credited to frequent Israeli military operations against the groups. The bad news is that organizations, such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, continue to be active and operational despite Israeli efforts to counter their activities.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal

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