An IAF fighter jet targeted a building in Jenin, in the northern West Bank, on Friday evening as part of a counter-terrorism operation, the Israeli military reported.
The Israeli army and the Palestinian Health Ministry said at least one person was killed and eight injured in the strike.
A Ynet report said the building was housing terrorists, while other Hebrew media outlets reported that the strike hit a five-man team that was planning to carry out a major terrorist attack immediately. Residents of the refugee camp said a house had been targeted.
Video documentation of the IAF strike in Jenin that eliminated a PIJ terrorist (credit: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)
The only person killed in the strike was Aslam Hamaisa, one of the commanders of the Jenin Brigade of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hebrew media reported. He was located by the Shin Bet, hiding in an apartment in the neighborhood, Walla reported. The precise attack that led to his assassination was made possible by precise real-time intelligence from the Shin Bet, the report notes.
What was the PIJ terrorist responsible for?
Hamaisa was responsible, along with another terrorist, for a deadly attack in the West Bank settlement of Hermesh in May last year, in which Meir Tamari was assassinated, Ynet reported. He was also responsible for another attack a month later at an intersection where Israelis were injured.
The Shin Bet had been monitoring the Jenin battalion’s infrastructure for some time, Walla reported.
Shortly after the attack, the IDF and Shin Bet said they had targeted an operations center in the Palestinian town and that the fighter jet that launched the strike that killed Hamaisa did so under the direction of the security services. They also said a number of key terrorists were hiding in the building, including those involved in the shooting attacks in the Jenin area.
The Israeli military said Hamaisa’s killing was aimed at “eliminating an immediate threat.”
The Palestinian Health Ministry said the eight injured were in stable condition and receiving treatment in hospitals. Reuters could not immediately confirm their identities.
Jenin has been used for many years as a hub from which numerous terrorists emerge to harm Israeli civilians. During one of the targeted countermeasures carried out in the city about two months ago, four terrorists were killed by a drone.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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