Airstrike Eliminates Palestinian Terrorists in Tulkarem

Jerusalem, 4 September, 2024 (TPS) -- Israeli aircraft struck a Palestinian terror cell in the area of Tulkarem after they were identified firing at security forces and hurling explosives, the Israel Defense Forces said on Wednesday.

The strike comes amid Israel’s largest counterterror operation in Judea and Samaria in months.

Also in Tulkarem, soldiers destroyed an explosives laboratory along with improvised explosive devices and bomb-making materials. Elsewhere in the city, an Israeli patrol found an explosive inside of a baby stroller.

Overnight, security forces apprehended 14 Palestinian terror suspects in Judea and Samaria.

Israel launched its biggest counterterror operation in months on Aug. 28 with raids focused on the Jenin refugee camp, the Nur al-Shams camp in Tulkarm, the El Fara camp in northwestern Samaria in the Jordan Valley, and the nearby village of Tubas. The raids — dubbed Operation Summer Camp — were prompted by intelligence indicating that terror groups were preparing further attacks on Israel.

Meanwhile, Israeli security officials assessed that a car bomb discovered at the entrance to the community of Ateret on Monday morning was targeting a school bus full of children later in the morning. The Binyamin Regional Council said the bomb was made up of two gas canisters connected to a detonation mechanism.

The vehicle was spotted during a routine army patrol. Sappers safely neutralized the explosives and security forces launched a manhunt for the terrorists.

Since October 7, Israeli security forces have arrested approximately 5,000 wanted Palestinian terror suspects, of whom 2,000 were members of Hamas.