Israeli military personnel operating in the terrorist hotbed of Jenin in the early hours of Tuesday morning discovered multiple tunnel shafts (entrances to tunnels), including some were that booby-trapped.
The discovery was made during a joint arrest operation of the IDF, the Shin Bet and Border Police. “During the operation in Jenin engineering tools uncovered tunnel shafts that had explosives planted with the aim of harming our forces,” the IDF said.
No information was released about the size, depth or length of the tunnel that was found. A tunnel shaft was discovered in Jenin by Israeli forces in July 2023 as well.
The construction of tunnels by Palestinian Authority terrorists in Judea and Samaria is a recent phenomenon, one that presents a significant risk to nearby Israeli communities.
Two Israel Border Police officers were lightly wounded by shrapnel during an exchange of fire with a gunman during the operation, which resulted in the capture of Omar Fayed, one of the heads of the Hamas military infrastructure in Jenin.
Eighteen wanted suspects were also arrested and weapons were seized in the operations that took place throughout Judea and Samaria, as well as in the Jordan Valley.
In Kalkilia, in the Ephraim Brigade, the fighters arrested seven wanted men and found weapons. During the operation, a terrorist tried to run over the force, the fighters shot at the terrorist and killed him.
In Silwad in Benjamin, the fighters arrested two wanted men and confiscated thousands of shekels that were allegedly earmarked for terrorist activity.
In the village of Huwara in Samaria and in the city of Hebron in Judea, the forces confiscated weapons.
In a Binyamin Brigade operation that lasted nine hours in the village of A-Ram, IDF reserve and Special Forces soldiers interrogated dozens of suspects, arrested eight wanted persons at the direction of the Shin Bet and confiscated weapons and military equipment.
The wanted persons who were arrested and the means of warfare that were confiscated were transferred to the security forces for further treatment. There were no Israeli casualties.
“Thus far, since the beginning of the war, approximately 3,100 wanted persons have been arrested throughout Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley, including more than 1,350 associated with the Hamas terrorist organization,” the IDF said.
