January 15, 2025 | Flash Brief

IDF Strikes Hamas Cell in Jenin Amid PA Crackdown

January 15, 2025 | Flash Brief

IDF Strikes Hamas Cell in Jenin Amid PA Crackdown

Latest Developments

  • IDF Carries Out Airstrike in Jenin: The IDF said it launched an airstrike in the West Bank city of Jenin in a joint operation with Israel’s internal security agency, the Shin Bet, and the Israeli Air Force on January 15. The Palestinian Ministry of Health said that six people were killed in the strike.
  • Hamas Claims Four Fighters Killed, One With ISIS Links: Hamas’s al-Qassam Brigades released a statement announcing that four of the six individuals killed in the strike were fighters for the terrorist organization, including commander Baha Ibrahim Abu Al-Hejja. Another individual killed in the strike, Ibrahim Qanari, claimed in a video statement that he was a member of the Islamic State (ISIS). Qanari’s body was draped in the ISIS flag at his funeral.
  • Strike Comes as Palestinian Authority Crackdown Continues: Israel’s latest strike against Hamas operatives in Jenin comes the same week that Fatah, the party that controls the Palestinian Authority (PA), vowed to prevent Hamas from solidifying a foothold in the West Bank and sacrificing Palestinian lives for Iranian interests. Since December, the PA’s security forces have been conducting counterterror operations in several West Bank cities, including Jenin, in an effort to crack down on terror groups backed by Iran.

FDD Expert Response

“Fighters belonging to terrorist groups in the West Bank likely have much weighing on their minds at the present time. A potential ceasefire deal in Gaza may enable the IDF to redirect its focus toward the West Bank. Despite near-daily counterterrorism operations by Israeli forces and a recent crackdown by the Palestinian Authority in Jenin, terrorist organizations continue to present a formidable security threat. Decision-makers in Jerusalem recognize that armed groups in the West Bank are becoming more sophisticated, organized, and lethal. To avert the risk of the West Bank transforming into another Gaza, substantial preventative measures must be implemented sooner rather than later.”Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

“Hamas in the West Bank will be energized by the release of terrorists in a ceasefire deal with Israel, many of whom have the blood of Israelis on their hands. Irrespective of what happens in Gaza, the IDF will remain challenged in the West Bank, and although the Gaza front may be wrapping up, the war with Hamas will rage on in other arenas, as demonstrated by this latest strike.”— Enia Krivine, Senior Director of FDD’s Israel Program and National Security Network

“The IDF felt the need to intervene in Jenin after a month of essentially allowing the PA to operate freely against Iran-backed terrorist organizations in the West Bank, and this is troubling. The PA must be able to reliably combat these sorts of threat vectors on its own if there can be any consideration of it governing post-war Gaza.” Aaron Goren, Research Analyst and Editor

FDD Background and Analysis

Fatah Says It Won’t Let Hamas, Iran Sacrifice Palestinians,” FDD Flash Brief

‘Until All Outlaws Are Arrested’: PA Concludes Rare Jenin Crackdown,” FDD Flash Brief 

Palestinian Authority Bans Al Jazeera, Escalating Row with Qatari-Owned Network,” by Natalie Ecanow

‘Residents Must Live in Peace’: Palestinian Authority Launches Counterterrorism Operation in West Bank,” FDD Flash Brief

Issues:

Issues:

Israel Israel at War Palestinian Politics

Topics:

Topics:

Iran Israel Hamas Palestinians Israel Defense Forces Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Gaza City West Bank Jerusalem Qatar Palestinian National Authority Fatah Israeli Air Force Shin Bet Jenin National Security Network Al Jazeera English Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades