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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| At least 5 gunmen killed as IDF targets West Bank terror attack cell, officials say |
| 2023-02-07 |
| [IsraelTimes] Military says attackers planned ’mass murder spree’ at eatery near Jericho; after failing to apprehend pair over weekend, unit enters Aqabat Jabr, kills prime suspects and others Several Paleostinian button men were killed in a military raid near the West Bank city of Jericho early Monday, as part of an operation to apprehend suspects involved in a shooting attack on a nearby restaurant last month, the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet security agency said. On January 28, two Paleostinian button men approached the Me Casa restaurant near the Almog Junction, close to Jericho, which was serving some 30 customers at the time. One of the button men opened fire, but after a single shot his gun jammed, and the pair fled toward Jericho in a car, the military said. The IDF and Shin Bet in a joint statement said the pair planned a "mass murder spree" at the restaurant. There were no injuries in the attack. Since the attack, the IDF’s Military Intelligence and Shin Bet have focused efforts on locating the pair, which have been thought to be part of a wider Hamas, the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,-affiliated gang in the Aqabat Jabr refugee camp, adjacent to Jericho. The IDF also established a temporary checkpoint and for several days troops were questioning Paleostinians entering and exiting Jericho. The IDF said the button men were hiding in an apartment using the help of their neighbors and relatives, while planning to commit further attacks. On Saturday morning, IDF special forces entered the camp but failed to apprehend the pair. Early Monday, troops of the mixed-gender Lions of the Valley light infantry battalion entered Aqabat Jabr in another attempt to locate the two button men. The soldiers identified several armed Paleostinians, and a firefight broke out, the IDF said. The IDF said several button men, including the two behind the restaurant attack, were killed, and several more were maimed. The Paleostinian Authority Health Ministry later reported that five were killed, and named them as Rafat Wael Awadat, 21, Malik Awni Lafi, 22, Adham Majdi Awadat, 22, Ibrahim Wael Awadat, 27, and Thaer Awadat, 28. The ministry said several others were maimed. Some Hebrew-language media reports said seven Paleostinian button men were killed in the raid. The bodies of those killed were taken by the military. Additionally, seven wanted Paleostinians were detained and several firearms were seized from the button men by the troops, the IDF said. An IDF Skylark drone crashed in the refugee camp during the raid, the IDF said, adding that there was "no concern of leaked information" from the device. The incident would be further investigated. Separately in other areas of the West Bank, troops detained another 12 Paleostinian suspects in overnight raids, the IDF said. No soldiers were hurt in the operations, according to the military. |
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