Israeli airstrike kills two senior Islamic Jihad terrorists in Jenin

Two senior terrorists of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terror group were eliminated in an Israeli airstrike on their car in the West Bank town of Jenin on Wednesday evening, the IDF stated.

The two terrorists were killed in a joint effort by the IDF and the Shin Bet domestic intelligence service.

They were identified as Ahmad Barakat, who murdered the Israeli citizen Meir Tamari in May 2023, and Muhammad Hawashin, the PIJ’s local commander in Jenin. Two other terrorists traveling in the car with them were also killed.

Surveillance camera footage shows the Israeli drone strike on a vehicle with Palestinian gunmen in the West Bank city of Jenin earlier. pic.twitter.com/J33VEIEv1h

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 20, 2024

Barakat and Hawashin were advancing “significant” terror acts and attacks against the citizens of Israel when they were eliminated, the IDF stated.

They were also behind the attempt to insert a suicide bomber into Israel on March 11. The two terrorists also directed a bombing and shooting attack against Israeli troops near the Homesh outpost on March 8 which wounded seven soldiers.

“The IDF and the Shin Bet will continue to work to remove any threat and thwart terrorist infrastructures that work to carry out murderous attacks and will also settle the scores with those who harm the citizens of Israel,” Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.

Barakat was responsible for the murder of Tamari last March, the army reported. Tamari sustained severe injuries as a result of shots fired by terrorists in a drive-by shooting near the Israeli settlement of Hermesh, located in the northwest corner of Samaria.

Tamari, who was in critical condition, was flown by helicopter to Hillel Yaffa Hospital in the coastal city of Hadera but passed away despite attempts to save his life.

Over the past 20 years, Israel has conducted a relatively low number of airstrikes in Judea and Samaria, regions internationally recognized as the West Bank. However, there has been a significant increase in military actions over the past year and particularly since Oct. 7, as a means to counter the escalation in terrorism.

Earlier on Wednesday, the IDF stated it had arrested 34 terror suspects in overnight operations throughout Judea and Samaria, confiscating weapons and terror funds.

Since the beginning of the war against Hamas last October, around 3,500 wanted suspects have been arrested throughout Judea and Samaria, including over 1,500 who are associated with Hamas.