IDF to Open Special Task Force To Reviewing Operational Event in Jenin

On the morning of May 11, 2022, IDF, ISA, and Border police forces conducted counterterrorism activity in the Jenin Camp and other locations in Judea and Samaria to apprehend terrorist suspects.

Since March 2022, Israeli civilians were targeted in a number of deadly terrorist attacks in which 19 people were murdered. Terrorist groups in Gaza, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, have incited violence and celebrated the attacks.

In these past weeks, the IDF has been operating alongside the ISA, the Israel Police, and other Israeli security forces to conduct counterterrorism operations in order to maintain Israel’s security and protect Israeli civilians from the threat of terrorism.

One of these locations is in Jenin in northern Samaria —a known hotspot for Palestinian terrorist organizations. The terrorists that carried out the deadly attacks in Bnei Brak, Tel Aviv, and Elad all came from the Jenin area. IDF intelligence indicates that more than 50% of the recent terrorist threats Israel has faced originate from there.

On the morning of May 11, 2022, Israeli security forces carried out counterterrorism activities in the Jenin Camp in order to apprehend a Hamas terrorist.

During this activity, the troops were confronted by dozens of armed militants throwing explosives and firing guns. The following video illustrates that the Israeli forces present were under heavy and reckless fire.

Click here to see the IDF tweet:

The IDF troops responded to the attacks with live fire. No IDF injuries or casualties were reported.

A journalist, Shireen Abu Aqleh, was tragically killed during the counterterrorism activity.

After an initial examination, it is unclear what exactly led to her death.

This event is undergoing a thorough review headed by the IDF Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Aviv Kohavi, the Head of the Central Command Major General Tamir Yadai, and other high-ranking IDF officials.

Additionally, Israel has officially offered to co-investigate the incident alongside the Palestinian Authority. Israel’s request has yet to be answered.

an IDF Spokesperson speaking with the media said, “freedom of the press is a core value of the State of Israel” and that “this unfortunate event is being investigated by all the relevant bodies, as expecteded in all other democracies.”

IDF protocol strictly and clearly forbids attacking non-militants, whether they are civilians being used by terrorist organizations as human shields or members of the press. The IDF makes great efforts to avoid collateral damage and uses advanced technologies during counterterrorism activities to do so.

An IDF spokesperson expressed condolences to the family and colleagues of Shireen Abu Akleh.