Three Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli security forces in the West Bank on the night of April 1-2. According to Ha’Aretzfour police officers from the anti-terrorist unit were also injured, one of whom is in critical condition.
Quoting the Israeli intelligence services, the daily explains that the Palestinians opened fire on the police who came to arrest them: “Weapons and grenades were later found in their vehicle.”
The three men, aged 24, 25 and 30, were suspected by Israeli security forces of being behind recent attacks near the town of Tul Karm, also in the West Bank. “Police believe they were preparing another attack, which was foiled during the night operation”continues Ha’Aretz.
The terrorist organization Islamic Jihad issued a statement announcing the death of three of its fighters, and promised to “avenge their death” and of “continue its attacks against Israel”, Explain The Times of Israel.
Since March 22, Israel and the Palestinian territories have been the scene of a series of killings and clashes that have come to break long months of relative calm.
“Wave of Terror”
As reminded Ha’Aretz, a Palestinian was killed by the Israeli army in Hebron on Friday April 1, and on Thursday March 31, a raid in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank caused the death of two Palestinians in exchanges of fire. And this while a recent “wave of terror” claimed the lives of 11 Israelis in one week and “brings a sense of fear back to the streets of Israel’s cities”explains the columnist of the Israeli daily Amos Harel.
The latter regrets that “in recent years, the most extreme fringes of Islamist terrorism, in Israel and in the territories, have ceased to be the primary concern of Israeli intelligence agencies”.
According to The Times of Israel, the Jewish state has in recent days reinforced security measures and deployed additional forces in the West Bank, on the border with the Gaza Strip and in major cities such as Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. And the daily cites reports published on Friday April 1, according to which the Israeli security services were warned “imminent attacks” and foiled “a number of other attacks” the last days.