Israeli military forces raided the hometown of a Palestinian gunman, two days after the terrorist opened fire in a crowded bar in Tel Aviv, killing three people.
Raad Hazem, 28, was killed Thursday by Israeli security forces after an eight-hour manhunt when he was found hiding near a mosque in the Arab neighborhood of Jaffa.
The IDF said their forces moved Saturday “to examine the potential demolition of the house” in the West Bank city of Jenin.
Demolition of terrorist safe houses are standard practice by Israel as a way of deterring future attacks, though the practice has been criticized by human rights groups.
Soldiers who came under fire during the raid killed one militant later identified as a member of Islamic Jihad. A second gunman from the group was also wounded.
Jenin is nominally ruled by the Palestinian Authority, but there have lately been challenges for control from rival factions with the group and from the terrorist organization Islamic Jihad, according to the Times of Israel. The city has become a stronghold for militants looking to carry out attacks inside Israel.
“If we are going to clash with the terrorists anyway, I prefer it be in Jenin,” Israel Defense Forces chief Aviv Kohav told Israel’s Channel 13.
Kohav said he believed Hazem had gotten through a gap in the defensive Israeli West Bank barrier, which the country constructed after a wave of terrorist attacks in the early 2000s. The barrier has sharply reduced terror attacks since its construction was completed in 2004. Kohav ordered the Israeli military to also ramp up defensive measures along the barrier.
With Post Wires
