Two Palestinian Militants Killed by IDF in West Bank Raid

Two Palestinians were killed by Israel Defense Forces gunfire on Saturday in the northern West Bank city of Tul Karm, the Palestinian Health Ministry and IDF reported.

The military said it conducted a raid to apprehend individuals suspected of carrying out a shooting attack against Israelis earlier this week.

“The two gunmen were shot and killed after attempting to flee the scene,” a statement from the Israeli military said.

The Tul Karm Battalion militant group announced that two of its operatives, 22-year-olds Hamzah Kharouish and Samer Al-Shafi’i, were killed during gunfire exchanges with IDF forces operating in the Nur al-Shams refugee camp west of the city. A statement from the group said that Kharouish was the assailant that carried out a shooting attack in the West Bank settlement of Avnei Hefetz just four days ago. A day of mourning and a strike was declared in Tul Karm following the incident.

An eyewitness said that IDF forces entered Nur al-Shams and surrounded a compound where Kharouish and Al-Shafi’i were residing, while having snipers on building rooftops serving as reinforcements. According to eyewitness, Kharouish and Al-Shafi’i were shot dead attempting to escape from a window. Other reports indicate that IDF forces arrested two additional Palestinians, with one of them wounded from IDF gunfire.

Kharouish and Al-Shafi’i belonged to the Tul Karm Battalion — a group that mainly recruits armed young men some of whom are affiliated with Fatah. Their aim is to carry out terror attacks in the central West Bank and around Tul Karm. They say they take their inspiration from the Lion’s Den militant group located in the northern West Bank city of Jenin.

On Tuesday, a 39-year-old Israeli was wounded in a shooting attack in the West Bank settlement of Avnei Hefetz. According to reports, several cars in the area were also shot at.