Tense night in West Bank: 2 Palestinian terrorists killed and 5 IDF soldiers injured, 3 seriously, during Tulkarm arrest

After a tense night of operations in the Judea and Samaria, internationally known as the West Bank, the Israel Defense Forces announced this morning that five Border Police were injured by a grenade while assisting IDF soldiers during an arrest operation in the Tulkarm refugee camp.

Israeli security forces entered the camp early on Thursday morning to arrest a wanted suspect.

During the activity, there was an exchange of fire between terrorists and IDF troops. Several improvised explosive devices were thrown at the soldiers who responded with live fire.

After the suspect was apprehended, a grenade explosion injured five Border Police soldiers while the forces were in the process of withdrawing from the camp. The soldiers were evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment. Three of them are in serious condition, while two remain in light-to-moderate condition.

Border Police Commander Brik Yitzhak said, “Our soldiers acted this morning with courage and determination to counter terrorism in Judea and Samaria. I wish a full and speedy recovery for the soldiers who were injured in the fighting. We will continue to work in joint forces with the security agencies to counter terrorism and protect the citizens of Israel.”

Yitzhak also gave a warning to the terrorists: “Every terrorist who tries to harm our forces should know, we will come to him and close accounts.”

The Hamas terror group in Gaza claimed responsibility for attacking the IDF troops, saying it “exposed an Israeli squad and ambushed it, detonated IEDs and conducted battle at point-blank range.”

The group appears to be escalating tension in the Palestinian territories of Judea and Samaria.

In another incident near the settlement of Avnei Hefetz, IDF soldiers from the Golani Brigade operating near Shufah, near Tulkarm, neutralized two Palestinians who attacked an Israeli civilian driving in the area.

The soldiers set up a roadblock and when the vehicle approached, the terrorists opened fire on the soldiers, who responded in kind.

The two terrorists who were killed are identified as 23-year-old Abd al-Rahman Fares Muhammad ‘Ata and 27-year-old Hudayfah Adnan Muhammad Fares. There were no IDF injuries.

Meanwhile, in Nablus, some 3,000 Jewish worshippers arrived at Joseph’s Tomb under heavy security. While they were at the site, Palestinian rioters set fire to vehicle tires and garbage dumpsters placed near the famous tomb.

When the IDF brought in bulldozers to remove the trash bins, the bulldozers were attacked by Palestinians who were throwing stones, Molotov cocktails and IEDs.

The Jewish worshippers were safely removed from the vicinity after the IDF used riot dispersal measures to drive the rioters away from the tomb.

During the fighting, one IDF soldier suffered minor injuries. Palestinian sources reported some 70 minor injuries to the rioters.

Near the village of Sinjil, in the Benjamin territory, Palestinians reportedly threw stones at Israeli vehicles passing by, resulting in an Israeli civilian being lightly injured along with damage to his car. The Israeli civilian responded with gunfire, injuring one of the stone throwers, who received medical treatment.