Hamas Commander Eliminated in Israeli Strike Near West Bank City of Tulkarem

Latest Developments

At least nine Palestinian terrorists were killed in two separate Israeli drone strikes in the area of the West Bank city of Tulkarem on August 3, including the commander of the local wing of Hamas’s Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Haitham al-Balidi was eliminated along with four other terrorists as they traveled in vehicle near Tulkarem. An IDF spokesperson told the Israeli broadcaster Kan that “the squad was on its way to carry out a large-scale attack,” the Jerusalem Post reported.

The first strike was followed by an IDF counterterrorism operation in Tulkarem and then a second drone strike, The Times of Israel reported. At least four Palestinian gunmen were killed in the second strike, Israeli and Palestinian sources said. Safa, a local Hamas-affiliated news agency, also reported clashes between the IDF and terrorists in Qaffin, which lies to the north of Tulkarem.

Expert Analysis

“In recent months, we have seen Israeli counter-terrorism operations in the West Bank that resemble those against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In both locations, the terrorists are moving fast and covertly, in small squads, while the IDF interdicts them with precision strikes. This is a mark of both Israel’s success in degrading the Hamas army in Gaza – and of the challenges facing the IDF in the West Bank as Iran pours funding and weapons to terrorists in that territory.” — Mark Dubowitz, FDD CEO

“More than three years after the surge in violence began in the West Bank, Islamic Jihad and the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades have been the dominant forces behind attacks on Israeli troops and civilians. However, in the past six months, there has been a notable increase in terrorism attributed to Hamas in the territory. This increase indicates that Hamas is shifting its focus toward the West Bank, as operating in Gaza has become increasingly challenging due to the ongoing war that has persisted for over nine months.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal

IDF Bolsters Operations Against Terrorist Groups in Tulkarem Area

IDF operations in the environs of Tulkarem have been stepped up in recent weeks. On June 30, an Israeli strike in Nur Shams killed Saeed Jaber, a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) commander belonging to the organization’s Tulkarem branch. The IDF and Shin Bet said Jaber was responsible for numerous attacks on Israeli troops and civilians. The site targeted by the Israeli military was a home used by Jaber and two other PIJ terrorists responsible for carrying out shooting attacks on the West Bank barrier and the Israeli community of Bat Hefer.

The following day, PIJ claimed responsibility for a deadly roadside bomb attack in Nur Shams in which one Israeli officer was killed and another was seriously wounded. That bombing marked the second PIJ attack in the West Bank in under a week that resulted in an IDF fatality. On June 27, IDF sniper team commander Capt. Alon Sagciu, 22, was killed and 16 troops were wounded in a PIJ roadside bombing in the West Bank city of Jenin.

An Israeli drone strike on July 23 killed two commanders belonging to Hamas and the Fatah-affiliated al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades in Tulkarem. The IDF said Hamas commander Ashraf Nafeh was “responsible for manufacturing and embedding explosives intended to attack IDF soldiers, as well as recruiting new operatives into the Hamas organization,” while al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades commander Muhammed Abdo had carried out shooting attacks against IDF personnel and helped raise funds and procure weapons for terrorist groups in Tulkarem.

Since the October 7 Hamas atrocities in southern Israel, the IDF has arrested some 4,400 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 1,850 affiliated with Hamas. During the same period, 23 Israelis, including security personnel, have been killed in terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank, according to the Times of Israel.

Related Analysis

“Israeli Airstrike Kills Hamas, Fatah Commanders in Tulkarem,” FDD Flash Brief

“Palestinian Islamic Jihad Claims Responsibility for Fatal West Bank Bombing,” FDD Flash Brief

“Hamas and Islamic Jihad Seek to Enflame West Bank,” by Seth J. Frantzman