Israeli forces continued their counterterrorism operations throughout Judea and Samaria on Saturday night and arrested several terror suspects, including the relative of Ali Harb, the Arab who was stabbed to death during a scuffle with Israelis near Ariel, in Samaria, on Tuesday evening.
The IDF stated Sunday that its forces operated at several locations in Judea and Samaria, including in the villages of Iskaka, Rashida, Rapida, a-Tira, and Beit Ur Itahta.
The Palestinian Authority’s WAFA news agency reported that in Iskaka, the Israeli army arrested three people, including Naeem Harb, 55, and his son, Fares, 25. The three are said to be close relatives of Ali Harb.
Harb, 27, was stabbed during a clash with Israelis last Tuesday and subsequently died of his injuries. The Arabs are alleging he was stabbed by an Israeli.
The incident occurred when a mob of Arabs attacked a group of Israelis who were on a walking tour in the vicinity of the city Ariel in Samaria. The Arabs, armed with sticks and rocks, chased the Israelis away. Footage of part of the incident seen by TPS shows the Israelis retreating from the area and refraining from a confrontation. At one point, an Israeli reportedly fired in the air to scare off the attackers.
The Israeli police have one Israeli in custody and have charged him with murder. The suspect, 44 and a family man, was arrested when he came to the police to file a complaint against the Arab attackers.
The Hamas terror organization recognized Harb as a “Shahid,” claiming that the “crime” is “an extension of the dirty war waged by the settlers against our people.”
The Israeli forces also operated on Saturday in the village of Karayut and arrested six wanted persons suspected of involvement in terrorist activities.
During an operation in the town of Beit Omer, the forces arrested two wanted persons suspected of involvement in terrorist activity.
Undercover forces operated in the village of Nur a-Shams and arrested three wanted persons suspected of involvement in terrorist activities, and seized several weapons.
A total of 11 wanted persons were arrested and transferred for further investigation by the security forces. There were no Israeli casualties.
The arrests were made as part of Operation Wave Breaker, Israel’s counterterrorism operation following several deadly terror attacks that the country experienced in recent months.
