West Bank: Israeli security forces kill Palestinian police officer who shot Israeli soldier

The Shin Bet intelligence agency, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and the Israel Police announced on November 21 that security forces killed a Palestinian police officer who had shot and wounded a reserve Israeli soldier the day before. Al Jazeera identified the individual as Younis Walid Ishtayeh.

According to the IDF, Yamam counterterrorism forces operating in the northern West Bank village of Tell identified Ishtayeh holding a “long weapon” and killed him after he fired at them. A second Palestinian police officer surrendered to Israeli forces at the scene.

While the IDF did not detail whether Ishtayeh was connected to established armed groups in the West Bank, two organizations claimed him as a member.

The Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades published a statement on its official Telegram channel mourning the death of Ishtayeh. The group described him as a fighter in the organization’s Nablus branch. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also claimed Ishtayeh as a member of its Nablus branch.

The incidents involving Ishtayeh are not without precedent. Palestinian security personnel, including a former member of the security forces, conducted a string of attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians last year.

On March 31, 2024, Abu Rida Al Saadi, a member of the Palestinian Authority’s security forces, surrendered himself to IDF troops following a three-day manhunt. Israeli authorities accused Saadi of shooting at school buses and cars on Route 90 in the Jordan Valley, wounding three Israelis.

Days earlier, Mujahid Barakat, a former officer in the Palestinian Authority’s Presidential Guard, killed an IDF soldier and wounded other troops after he fired at a bus between the Israeli communities of Dolev and Talmon. An Israeli airstrike killed Barakat following hours of clashes.

On February 29, 2024, Mahmoud Manassera, a Palestinian Authority police officer, shot and killed two Israelis at a gas station near the West Bank settlement of Eli. Manassera was shot dead by an IDF soldier on leave.

The most recent incident involving Ishtayeh contributes to a recent pattern of rising violence in the West Bank, where armed groups such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad are expanding their activity.

Joe Truzman is an editor and senior research analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal focused primarily on Palestinian armed groups and non-state actors in the Middle East.