The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced Thursday that they completed, together with special forces of the Border Guard and the Shabak intelligence agency, a raid in the town of Tulkarem, in the north of the West Bank (Judea and Samaria), which lasted two days and in which seven Palestinian terrorists were killed.
“During the operation, Air Force drones attacked several terrorist cells on separate occasions. In addition, IDF soldiers eliminated two additional terrorists in close-range combat,” the military said in a statement.
During the operation, Israeli troops dismantled dozens of explosive devices planted under the streets, arrested a number of suspects and confiscated weapons of war, the military spokesman said.
The IDF noted that a high-ranking member of the self-proclaimed Tulkarem Brigade (which shelters various terrorist organizations, mainly from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad) was killed yesterday in a drone strike. The deceased terrorist was identified as Qusai Amin Ibrahim Oqasha, who was the replacement of another high-ranking official killed last week, Tarek Doush.
Along with Oqasha, Jomaa Salam Ubaid and Imram Harun, who have also been identified as high-ranking members of the terrorist network, were killed.
"Israeli security forces will continue to operate offensively and defensively to ensure the safety of Israeli citizens," the statement added.