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On the third day of an extensive military operation in the West Bank, Israel Border Police eliminated local Hamas commander Wessam Khazem in the city of Jenin on August 30. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Border Police forces, acting on Shin Bet intelligence agency information, located Hazem in a vehicle and eliminated him. An Israeli aircraft eliminated two additional Hamas members who had fled from the car in which they and Khazem were traveling. Troops located M16 rifles, a handgun, ammunition, explosives, gas grenades, and thousands of shekels in the vehicle, the IDF noted.
The IDF implicated Khazem as the head of Hamas in Jenin, responsible for orchestrating and carrying out shooting and IED attacks in the West Bank.
Potentially complicating matters for Israel, Khazem held Norwegian citizenship, Arab affairs analyst Khaled Abu Toameh reported.
Expert Analysis
“With the assistance of its Iranian sponsor, Hamas has been seeking to expand its terrorist network in the West Bank over the past year. The elimination of a Hamas commander in Jenin is a significant achievement in the war against Hamas’s attempt to infiltrate cities such as Jenin.” — Seth J. Frantzman, FDD Adjunct Fellow
“The recent failed Tel Aviv suicide bombing, coupled with persistent violence committed by terrorist groups in the West Bank, compelled Israel to launch a broad operation in the territory. Israeli security chiefs likely realized the situation was poised to worsen significantly weeks before the start of the Jewish high holiday season. While the operation in the West Bank has made some important progress, a more comprehensive strategy is needed to eliminate the persistent threat of terrorist groups in the West Bank.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal
IDF Eliminates Palestinian Islamic Jihad Commander in Tulkarem
On August 29, the IDF targeted and eliminated Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander Muhammed Jabber in the city of Tulkarem. According to the IDF, the operation involved the Shin Bet intelligence agency, Yamam (National Counter-Terrorism Unit), and military troops who were deployed to a mosque where Jabber was found hiding alongside four gunmen. Israeli forces killed the gunmen inside the mosque after carrying out a “pressure cooker” — a tactic that involves increasing the volume of fire at a structure to force the occupants inside to surrender, The Times of Israel reported. Separately, Israeli forces killed three terrorists in a nearby building, while a fourth surrendered to troops.
The IDF accused Muhammad Jabber, commonly known as “Abu Shujaa,” of being involved in several terrorist attacks, including the murder of Amnon Muchtar, a 66-year-old Israeli civilian, in the West Bank city of Qalqilya on June 22.
