Description

Photos:
Ahmad Ayman Ibrahim ‘Aabed, 23, and Abdul-Rahman Hani Sobhi ‘Aabed, 22. Published by IMEMC News and Haaretz

IDF Major Bar Falah[?] Published by IMEMC News

Ahmad Ayman Ibrahim ‘Aabed, 23. Published by IMEMC News

Abdul-Rahman Hani Sobhi ‘Aabed, 22. Published by IMEMC News

Major Bar Falah, the officer killed during the clash near Jenin. Credit: IDF Spokesperson's Unit Published by Haaretz

An IDF soldiers stands near the barrier fence, near Jenin, on Wednesday morning. Credit: Amir Levy Published by Haaretz

See also Video at IMEMC News Source Link
____

by IMEMC News
Sept 14, 2022

Two Palestinian and one Israeli soldier were killed during an exchange of gunfire near the village of Jalama, north of Jenin, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank.

The two Palestinians have been identified as Ahmad Ayman Ibrahim ‘Aabed, 23, and Abdul-Rahman Hani Sobhi ‘Aabed, 22, from Kafr Dan town, northwest of Jenin.

Palestine TV said Ahmad, a graduate of the Istiqlal University, worked with the Palestinian Military Intelligence service.

Israeli sources said the slain soldiers have been identified as deputy commander of the Nahal Reconnaissance Battalion Maj. Bar Pelach.

According to Israeli sources, the two Palestinians were seen approaching the Israeli Annexation Wall near the village, and Israeli soldiers began to drive up near them.

The Israeli media reported that the Palestinians began shooting at the soldiers, who returned fire, resulting in the two Palestinians being killed and one Israeli soldier.

The army phoned their families, ordering them to come to the roadblock to identify their corpses, but refused to release them to their families.

The army also closed the roadblock and said it would remain blockaded until Friday.

Abdul-Rahman’s father said a senior army officer ordered him to head to the roadblock and detained him for about an hour before showing him mobile phone pictures of his slain son and Ahmad after they were shot dead.

The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of the Fateh party, claimed responsibility for the attack.

Palestinian factions in Jenin declared a general strike to mourn the slain Palestinians.

Amjad Abu Farha, the head of Al-Jalama Village Council, said several army jeeps and bulldozers invaded the village and demolished a cement wall where the two young men were killed. The demolished wall is on land owned by Morad Saleh Abu Farha.

A spokesperson for the Hamas party, Hazem Qasem, reportedly said, “As of today, the heroes of Jenin ignore all the empty threats of the occupation against the cities of the West Bank and do not pay attention to the Israeli attempts to intimidate the resistance.

“The martyrs of Jenin this morning are fueling another revolution and escalation of the struggle against the occupation and their blood is the tax of triumph and liberation. This revolution will continue to escalate across all West Bank cities in defense of the al-Aqsa Mosque, in response to the occupation’s crimes, and on the path to liberation of the land, the people, and the martyrs.”

Following the fatal shooting, the Israeli cabinet convened a special session to discuss the “increasing number of Palestinian attacks'” this month.

The killing of the two young brings the number of slain Palestinians, killed by the Israeli occupation army this month to ten, in addition to one a political prisoner who died at an Israeli medical center.

On September 11, a young Palestinian man, Hamad Mustafa Abu Jilda, 24, from Jenin refugee camp, died from serious wounds he suffered on September 6, after dozens of military vehicles invaded Jenin city and Jenin refugee camp.

On September 8, Haitham Hani Mubarak, 16, was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers near the main entrance of Beitin village, northeast of Ramallah, in the central West Bank.

On September 7, the soldiers killed Younis Ghassan Tayeh, 21, in the al-Far’a refugee camp, south of Tubas, in the northeastern part of the occupied West Bank.

On September 6, the soldiers killed Mohammad Mousa Saba’na, 29, and injured at least nine Palestinians in the northern West Bank city of Jenin.

On September 5, the soldiers invaded Jenin city and Qabatia town, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank, killed a young man, Taher Mohmmad Zakarna, 19, injured another, and abducted five.

On September 2, the soldiers killed Fadi Mohammad Fayez Ghattas, 19, after an alleged stabbing attack targeting soldiers, near Beit Einoun village junction, northeast of Hebron, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank.

On September 1, the soldiers killed Yazan Naim Affana, 24, after shooting him with live fire while the army withdrew from Um ash-Sharayet neighborhood in Al-Biereh city after the army invaded the Al-Biereh city in the Ramallah and Al-Biereh governorate, in the central part of the occupied West Bank.

On the same day, the soldiers killed Mahmoud Suleiman Khaled, 25, in front of the main entrance of Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank.

On September 3, Mousa Haroun Abu Mahameed, 40, a Palestinian political prisoner held by Israel, died at an Israeli medical center.

First Published on: Sep 14, 2022, at 10:37
_______

Israeli Military Officer, Two Palestinians Killed in Clash at West Bank Checkpoint

The two militants began firing towards soldiers north of Jenin, who responded by firing back and hitting both of them, according to the army

by Jack Khoury and Yaniv Kubovich for Haaretz
Sep 14, 2022 7:32 am IDT

An Israeli army officer was shot and killed on Tuesday night during an exchange of gunfire with Palestinian militants, according to the military. The two militants, one of which worked in the Palestinian security services, were also killed. The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades has taken responsibility for the shooting.

The incident occurred near the Jalameh checkpoint, a few miles north of Jenin. After the two militants were seen approaching the checkpoint, soldiers were dispatched to the area. The militants began firing towards the soldiers, who fired back and struck both of them.

Palestinian sources say the two militants were killed during the clash with the army, and identified as 23-year-old Ahmed Iman Abed and Abdelrahman Abed, both residents of Kafr Dan – a small village northwest of Jenin. According to Palestinian sources, Ahmed served in the Palestinian security services' intelligence branch and was a graduate of the Palestinian Authority's police academy.

On Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces published the name of the officer killed in the incident – Major Bar Falah, a 30-year-old resident of Netanya. The army added that Falah was deputy commander of the Nahal Brigade's Special Reconnaissance Unit.

"Unfortunately, last night we lost an officer who fought Palestinian terrorists in the field," said IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, adding that the incident is another example of the many challenges the army faces. "I wish to convey my condolences to his family and friends", he said.

"There are no words to console Maj. Falah's family, his partner and his friends. He was a warrior who led his soldiers until his very last second," Prime Minister Yair Lapid said following the announcement of the officer's death.

In a separate statement from Wednesday, Lapid referred to the fact that one of the attackers was an intelligence officer for the Palestinian Authority as an "escalation."

"Wherever the Palestinian Authority does not maintain order, we will not hesitate to act. The IDF and Shin Bet are prepared for any scenario," Lapid said.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz also sent his condolences following the incident, adding that Israel's security forces "will continue to operate in the West Bank and every other place terrorism rears its head."

According to Brig. Gen. Avi Bluth, Commander of the Judea and Samaria Division, the incident began at 11:31 PM on Tuesday, when the army observed two suspects near the barrier fence, close to the Jalameh crossing. At this point, the army did not know that the two suspects were armed. They made their way towards the fence and laid down some 15 meters from it.

The army ultimately sent a large number of soldiers to the area, and some of them entered Palestinian territory in order to encircle the suspects. The exchange of gunfire occurred at around 2:00 AM when the soldiers were only a few meters from the suspects. The militants used a Carlo submachine gun.

An Israeli officer was shot and killed during the initial exchange of gunfire, and additional IDF forces shot and killed the two militants. The army also claimed that one of the suspects worked for the Palestinian Authority's intelligence services.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad applauded the attack, calling it "a message to the occupation forces in Israel."

The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades took responsibility for the attack, saying both the shooters are members of the terrorist organization.

In the last few hours, officials from various Israeli security agencies discussed the possible responses to the shooting incident. The Shin Bet suggested blocking work permits to Palestinian workers from the assailants' hometowns, as well as establishing temporary checkpoints around these locations. Israel has imposed similar sanctions following attacks in the past in order to deter attacks from the local population.

Over the past several weeks, Israel has focused its efforts on calming the security situation in the northern West Bank by putting pressure on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Israeli officials lay the blame on President Abbas for the deteriorating situation in the West Bank. "The problem is with [Palestinian] leadership," an Israeli official told Haaretz last week, citing the Palestinian Authority's inability to stop attacks over the past few months.

Specifically, Israel has mentioned two Palestinian cities in the northern part of the West Bank - Jenin and Nablus - that have emerged as recent hotspots for tensions, as evidenced by the incident this morning.

As of earlier this week, 81 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank in 2022, making it the deadliest year since 2015 – in which 99 were killed.

Seventy-eight of the 81 were shot by Israeli security forces, three were killed by Israeli civilians, and one more whom the Palestinians say was shot by Israeli forces despite IDF claims that he was likely killed by armed Palestinians.

About 31 of the Palestinians who died in the past year were killed in the Jenin region, where Israeli forces have been conducting nightly raids since the wave of terror attacks by Palestinians in Israel began in late March.

Features