The Hamas terror group threatened an escalation in violence against Israel on Thursday after Israeli forces launched a large-scale anti-terrorist operation in the West Bank in response to a spate of attacks over the past two weeks that have killed 11 Israelis had.
Three Palestinian gunmen were killed in a gun battle with Israeli troops on Thursday when commandos entered the Palestinian city of Jenin in a rare daytime raid, and dozens more were arrested, the army said in a statement. Palestinian Authority health officials reported two dead and 14 injured in the clashes.
“The crew’s ongoing crimes point to a total explosion that will be even more powerful and painful and miserable [than those that preceded] and which our people will join in every part of our occupied country,” the Gaza-based terrorist group said in a statement.
Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, threatened to meet “escalation with escalation” and warned of a “full-scale explosion.”
The warning came as Israeli officials tried to stave off tensions ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, amid fears the violence could spark the same type of unrest that rocked Israel in May 2021 when Hamas began firing rockets at Israel shoot and shoot sparks an 11-day war with Gaza and days of unrest between Arabs and Jews in Israel.
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The terror group said Thursday it welcomed “the blessed month of Ramadan, the month of struggle, martyrdom and victories” by “embracing the hands of our revolutionary heroes.”
Palestinian boys queue for a summer camp organized by Hamas’ military wing, the Iz Ad Din Al Qassam Brigades, June 14, 2021 in Gaza City. (Mahmoud Hams/AFP)
At the same time, Islamic Jihad leader Ziyad al-Nakhaleh called for the group’s armed wing to be placed on “high alert”.
The large-scale Israeli operation in the West Bank, which is expected to continue in the coming days, was launched after a meeting of senior ministers who decided to strengthen the police and military and advance offensive anti-terrorist operations.
The arrest operation – dubbed “Breakwater” – targeted people suspected of planning future attacks, as well as some believed to be linked to Tuesday’s deadly attack in Bnei Brak, which was carried out by a Palestinians from a village near Jenin.
Palestinian media identified two of the Palestinian victims of the attack as Sanad Abu Atiyeh (17) and Yazid al-Sa’adi (23).
Israeli soldiers patrol a village south of Jenin in the West Bank on March 30, 2022. (AFP)
Around 31 suspects were arrested overnight, including a Palestinian from Hebron suspected of links to Islamic State, the military said.
Since a terrorist attack in Beersheba on March 22, carried out by an Arab-Israeli man from the southern city of Hura – who was previously jailed for attempting to join Islamic State – Israeli security forces have arrested 43 suspects allegedly involved with sympathize with the jihadist group.
Days after the deadly attack, two of Umm al-Fahm’s cousins - one of whom had previously been jailed for trying to join Islamic State – killed two police officers at a bus stop in Hadera.
On Tuesday, five Israelis were killed in a killing spree by a Palestinian terrorist in Bnei Brak. There was no evidence that he was a member of “Islamic State”.
Police officers work at the scene of an attack in Beersheba, southern Israel, on Tuesday, March 22, 2022. (AP/Tsafrir Abayov)
And on Thursday morning, an Israeli man was seriously injured in a knife attack near the West Bank settlement of Neve Daniel, medics said.
Responding to the “wave of murderous terrorism,” Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Wednesday, “There is no limit to the resources” that should be used to fight terrorism.
He noted that the military presence in the West Bank and along the Green Line has been greatly increased in recent days.
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