5 Palestinians and Soldier Wounded in West Bank Raid
Image by Getty Images
Five Palestinians and an Israeli border policeman were wounded in a raid in the occupied West Bank to arrest a Hamas militant, the Israeli army and local medical officials said on Tuesday.
The fate of the wanted man was not immediately clear. The army said soldiers demolished a house, in the city of Jenin, in which he was suspected of hiding, after they were shot at.
A Hamas source in Jenin said the suspect was Bassam al-Saadi, a member of the Islamic Jihad group. The source said two Hamas activists were detained by the Israeli forces.
In a statement, the army said hundreds of Palestinians had gathered at the scene during the operation late on Monday and that the crowd threw rocks and petrol bombs at the soldiers.
Palestinian medical officials said five Palestinians were wounded by rubber bullets. Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon, in speech on security issues in Tel Aviv, said a member of an Israeli special forces unit was shot and wounded, apparently by friendly fire.
Israeli troops frequently enter Palestinian-controlled territory to detain people suspected of militant activity.
Palestinian officials condemn this practice as an encroachment on the limited self-rule they hold in parts of the West Bank. Palestinian militant groups have accused the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which cooperates with Israel on security, of turning a blind eye to such operations.
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
