Jerusalem
CNN
—
Israeli forces staged a daylight raid in Jenin in the occupied West Bank targeting the suspect in the killing of two Jewish settlers, leaving the suspect and at least five other Palestinian men dead, officials from both sides said Tuesday.
The Israel Defense Forces named the suspect as Abdul-Fattah Hussein Kharousha and described him as a “Hamas terrorist”. The Palestinian Health Ministry identified Kharousha, 49, as one of six killed in Jenin. The other five were all men in their 20s, the ministry said, and at least 11 others were injured.
Hamas issued a brief statement saying it “mourns the martyrs of the heroic Jenin camp,” but did not immediately claim Kharusha as a member.
IDF forces carried out a separate raid in the West Bank city of Nablus at the same time to arrest two sons of Kharusha, they said. They are “suspected of aiding and planning the terrorist attack”, the army said, adding that they were in custody for questioning.
The raid is at least the third to take place in broad daylight this year. The previous two – one in Jenin and one in Nablus – each left 11 Palestinians dead, including militants targeted by the Israel Defense Forces, clashes with Israeli forces and bystanders.
Jewish settler brothers Hillel Yaniv, 21, and Yagel Yaniv, 19, were shot while crossing Huwara in the West Bank on February 26. They lived in the nearby Israeli settlement of Har Bracha.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation “killed today the heinous terrorist who murdered the two lovely brothers Hillel and Yagel Yaniv in cold blood”. Netanyahu ended a brief video statement by adding, “As I say over and over again, over and over again: whoever harms us – his blood will be on his own head.”
During Tuesday’s raid on the Jenin refugee camp, IDF forces surrounded Kharousha’s house, came under fire and responded with shoulder-fired missiles, an IDF official told CNN.
Two IDF soldiers were injured during the operation, including one with life-threatening injuries, the official said, adding that IDF forces were having ‘difficulty’ leaving Jenin due to burning tires and roadblocks . The official asked not to be named to tell CNN about information that has not yet been made public.