At least five Palestinians were killed and three others were injured in a raid conducted by the Israeli military on a refugee camp near the city of Jericho on Monday morning. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the deceased were members of a Hamas terror cell responsible for an attempted shooting attack at a restaurant near Jericho on the West Bank last month.
On January 28, two terrorists tried to fire at a restaurant in the Vered Yeriho settlement with 30 people present, but their weapons jammed and they fled back to Jericho. Israel’s Shin Bet security service and IDF Intelligence Directorate later discovered that the suspects had barricaded themselves in an apartment in the Aqabat Jaber refugee camp near Jericho, with plans to continue their attacks.
The IDF attempted to arrest the cell members behind the attack on Saturday, but failed, leading to the Monday morning raid. Clashes broke out between Palestinians and Israeli forces from the Lions of the Jordan Valley infantry battalion as they entered the Aqabat Jaber camp, resulting in the deaths of five Palestinians and the seizure of their bodies by Israeli forces. Three Palestinians were also reported injured, with no Israeli casualties reported.
In response to the raid, Palestinians across the West Bank went on strike, closing shops and schools, and calling for clashes near the Green Line. A senior Hamas official, Shaker Amara, was arrested in Jericho on Monday, along with relatives of the fighters involved in the attempted attack.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh warned that Palestinian movements would continue to operate and that the “enemy will not enjoy calm.” Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem similarly warned that “our people and their resistance will not delay in responding to this crime.”
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit stated that it had increased operations in the Jericho area, including more intensive vehicle checks, after the attempted shooting attack.