IDF unit shoots dead 2 West Bank terrorists in exchange of fire

The incident began when an IDF lookout position spotted two Palestinian hurling rocks near the security fence located north of Jenin, in the area of Arake village.

Security forces at a checkpoint near Jenin (photo credit: ISRAEL POLICE)
Security forces at a checkpoint near Jenin
(photo credit: ISRAEL POLICE)
An IDF unit shot dead two armed Palestinians after being fired upon in Samaria on Sunday.
The incident began when an IDF lookout position spotted two Palestinians hurling rocks near the security fence north of Jenin, near Arake village.
A unit deployed to the area came under fire. It crossed the security fence to the Palestinian side and fired on two terrorists, one armed with an automatic rifle and the second with a knife, army sources said. Both terrorists were shot dead in the incident.
“The unit acted to neutralize the immediate threat,” the Spokesman’s Office said.
According to Israel Radio, Palestinian sources identified the two attackers as Nihad and Fuad Waked, both 15, from Arake. Israel handed their bodies over to the Palestinian side, according to a Palestinian report.
In response, the Palestinian Authority government on Sunday called for immediate international protection for the Palestinians.
Spokesman Yusef Al-Mahmoud accused Israel of “deliberately” killing Palestinian teenagers.
An Israeli official responded by stating that, “the problem is the Palestinian Authority, which continues to incite against Israel. It refuses to take responsibly and continues to praise young people involved in murderous acts of terrorism.”
Also on Sunday, a teenaged Arab assailant was shot dead in the afternoon after allegedly charging Border Police officers with a knife at the Mizmoriya checkpoint between Har Homa and Bethlehem, located just south of Jerusalem.
According to Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld, at approximately 1:30 p.m. the 17-year-old suspect was spotted by a Border Police officer manning an observation point, who warned officers on the ground.
“The terrorist ran toward police at the checkpoint with a knife, and when he did not stop Border Police opened fire and killed him,” he said, adding that none of the officers was wounded in the attempted attack.
The assailant has been identified as Naim Safi, a resident of Bethlehem.
Later on Sunday, around 3 p.m., Rosenfeld said police received an emergency phone call from a distressed woman in her 30’s who claimed an Arab man attempted to attack her with a knife in the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Talpiot.
“The woman said she fought the man off and fled the scene,” said Rosenfeld. “Police units immediately set up road blocks and searched for the suspect, but no arrests have been made.”
The unidentified woman was not wounded in the alleged encounter, he said, and police continue to search for the suspect.
The incidents come a day after a Palestinian female knife attacker attempted to stab a soldier in Hebron on Saturday, before being shot dead by security forces.