Palestinian Islamic Jihad Terrorists Planning Attack Eliminated in West Bank by IDF

Latest Developments​

Israeli special forces eliminated two terrorists from the Iran-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) near the West Bank boundary on June 21, preventing an attack.

The two wanted men and a third Palestinian were intercepted in a car in the city of Qalqilya. They were shot after they opened fire at the combined Israeli police and military commando unit that was attempting to detain them. The identity and condition of the third man was not immediately clear.

One of the PIJ men was planning to carry out an attack in the area, Israeli authorities said, adding that he and his comrade were armed with pistols.

Expert Analysis​

“While much attention has been given to Israel’s efforts to prevent Hamas from rising in the West Bank in parallel to the dominant Palestinian terrorist group’s hostilities in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian Islamic Jihad remains a significant threat in its own right. Lacking Hamas’s political exposure and enjoying consistent funding from Iran over the years, PIJ is tight-knit and especially vicious.” — Mark Dubowitz, FDD CEO

“Qalqilya abuts the 1949 armistice line and what is today Israel’s heavily traveled Highway 6. That puts many Israeli civilians within easy access of terrorists from the Palestinian town, giving security forces very little margin for error in preventive actions.” — David May, FDD Research Manager and Senior Research Analyst

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“Unrest in the West Bank: More Than Two Years of Escalating Violence,” by Joe Truzman

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

“Israel Strikes at Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad Terrorists in Jenin,” FDD Flash Brief