3 terrorists were killed in an airstrike in Jenin; 350 detainees at Shifa Hospital, including senior officials

The IDF spokesman reports that the IDF attacked a number of buildings and observation posts in the Kfar Kila and Kfar Yaron areas, this after earlier today it carried out several attacks in the Kantra area and the Hendoria area, in which at least one Amal operative from the Amal terrorist organization was killed.

Chief of Staff Hertzi Halevi is present today (Wednesday) in a situation assessment at Shifaa Hospital in Gaza, as part of the IDF’s operation in the area of ​​the hospital, where about 350 suspects have been arrested so far.

“So far the results are good, but look, we are targeting senior officials,” Halevi said. “Marwan Issa, the arrest of senior officials, this is very, very important to put pressure on Hamas, it is very important to put pressure on the negotiations as well, and we are serving two things here. Severe damage to Hamas, dissolution of Hamas, killing of the military leadership, damage to the civilian leadership, damage to the activists. And not to let such a place rule, and we also serve to put pressure on the negotiations.”

“We came here to arrest many activists, emphasis on senior officials, and to kill those who fight,” added the Chief of Staff, “we prefer detainees, these are important cards, investigations, you understand that, those who fight (should) be killed. So far, compliance with the task is very good.”

Palestinian sources report that at least 3 terrorist operatives were killed in an aerial drone attack on the outskirts of the Jenim refugee camp this afternoon.

The IDF confirms that the senior operative who was eliminated is Hamada Barkhat (known as “Abu Elkhani”), the commander of the Jenin Battalion who was behind a number of attacks, including the attack in Harmesh where Meir Tamri was killed, as well as a shooting attack in Bartaea against an IDF vehicle.

According to Palestinian reports, the terrorists Mahmoud Rahel (“Mario”) and Mohammed al-Fayed, the son of the terrorist Mahmoud al-Fayed, who was eliminated at the beginning of the war, were killed together with him.

Red alarms sounded in Kfar Giladi, Margaliot, Meshgav Am, Kiryat Shmona and Tel Hai. One launch was detected in the area, and a fall in an open area.

In the last hour, the IDF carried out two attacks in Lebanon: in the Kantara region and in the Janduria region. Several people were injured in the attacks. Lebanese media outlets report that in an attack in Kantara, the operative of the terrorist organization “Amal” Mahmoud Kameha was eliminated.

A vehicle that was on its way to carry out an attack was bombed from the air on the outskirts of the Jenin refugee camp. At least two people were killed in the bombing, and several were injured on the spot. At least one other vehicle was damaged in the bombing.

The IDF and the Shin Bet today arrested Mahmoud Qawasma, a senior Hamas official who was one of the planners and financiers of the infrastructure that carried out the kidnapping and murder attack of the three boys Naftali Frankel, Gil-ed Shaar and the late Eyal Yafarah in June 2014.

Qawasma was deported to the Gaza Strip as part of the Shalit deal in 2011, and from there he was involved in directing terrorist activities of Hamas in the Palestinian Territories, including a number of shooting attacks carried out in recent years. He was taken for further investigation by the Shin Bet in Israel.

Alarms were sounded in Kiryat Shmona, Menara, Margaliot and Magev with the Upper Galilee. Two launches from Lebanon were detected. The fall of one rocket was detected in an open area in the Margaliot area. No injuries or damage are known.

IDF spokesman Brigadier General Daniel Hagari was interviewed today by the American Arabic-language television channel “Al Hora”, and referred to the IDF’s bombings in Syria: “The Syrian police should make sure that they do not allow weapons to be smuggled into Lebanon, we are following the issue. This month we saw the transfer of weapons from Iran to Lebanon, and the Syrian regime bears responsibility for this.”

Hagari referred to the conflict with Lebanon and said “Lebanon has a diplomatic and political window that is still open. We will not return to the situation that was on October 6. We are a different country and a different army. We will deal with Hezbollah and the Radwan force that is near the border.”

The state ceremony commemorating the martyrs of the Battle of Tel Hai, which takes place every year in Adar near the Roaring Lion statue, north of Kiryat Shmona, has been canceled. The reason for the cancellation is fear of firing from Lebanon, which led to a protest by regular participants in the ceremony, which symbolizes the value of defending the land.

“Jerusalem Day would not be cancelled,” said the activists of Lobby 1701 (in the name of the failed decision to withdraw Hezbollah forces north of Litani. The activists will hold a civil ceremony, and hang signs with the slogan of the heroes of Tel Hai from 1920: “The place is not leaving, There is no giving up on what is built.”

Demonstrators against the government tried to break into the Knesset grounds, which led to clashes with the Knesset guard forces, police and security forces present at the scene. Several protesters who tried to break in were arrested and detained. Protesters blocked 3 other exits from the Knesset, and arrests began to be made as a result.

Mike Pompeo, who served as Secretary of State in the United States during Donald Trump’s presidency, wrote on the X network: “Establishing a Palestinian state in response to the October 7 massacre would be a reward for terrorism.”

Defense Minister Yoav Galant said this morning at the Defense Ministry’s annual work plan conference: “The year 2024 will be a year of war and also a year of victory, we will be required to face these challenges for everyone. We will need all our soldiers – regular and reserve, each in turn. We will need recruitment of all parts of the people and all parts of society to go “under the stretcher”. This is true militarily, security-wise, socially and politically, for any reason. We will have to ensure our qualitative advantage as well as the quantitative advantage.”

The IDF spokesman announced today (Wednesday) that on Monday he eliminated senior members of the Hamas emergency committees in the Rafah area, who helped the terrorist organization’s military arm establish continued control and activity in the area.

According to the IDF’s announcement, the attack killed Syed Katab Al-Hashash, Osama Hamed Chahir, and Muhammad Uz Al-Malalhi, the heads of the emergency committees in the north and east of Rafah. Along with them, Hadi Abu Elros, who was the operations officer of the emergency committees, was also killed.

The seniors were the emissaries of the Hamas leadership in Rafah, worked for the concentration of Hamas’s organizational activity in humanitarian areas and were responsible for all the activities of the movement and the relationship with the organization’s operatives in the field.

Their assassination joins the assassination of Nachal El-Eid who was attacked last week and who served as the chairman of the emergency committees in the Rafah district, and even managed all the movement activities of the district.

President Yitzhak Herzog announced today (Wednesday) that he will honor the heroism of the three abductees Yotam Haim, Samer Talalka and Alon Shamriz, “who tragically fell in battle in the Gaza Strip”.

Herzog: “In light of the extraordinary circumstances of the event, he decided to honor the determination, courage, spirit and special heroism that they demonstrated.”

Activists of the ‘Order 9’ movement have been blocking the entrance to the UNRA offices in Jerusalem for the last few hours, according to them to “prevent further aid to Hamas”.

A demonstration in front of the UNRA offices in Jerusalem (Photo: Order 9)

The movement stated that “hundreds from all over the country are expected to arrive at the location with kidnapped family members. In the United States they have already understood and are stopping the funding, here in Israel not yet. We must close the Hamas branch in Jerusalem now.”

IDF spokesman: During the night, the fighters arrested 34 wanted persons throughout Judea and Samaria and in the Bekaa and Emekim Brigade. In Kfar Anta in the Binyamin Brigade, a wanted person was arrested along with a rifle that was confiscated. In an operation in Kfar Ezaria, the forces arrested five wanted persons and confiscated terrorist funds.

In Tulkarm in the Menashe division and in the city of Nablus in the Samaria division, the soldiers arrested seven more wanted men. At Omer’s house, the forces confiscated weapons. The wanted persons who were arrested and the means of warfare that were confiscated were transferred to the security forces for further treatment, there are no casualties to our forces.

So far, since the beginning of the war, about 3,500 wanted persons have been arrested throughout the Judea and Samaria Division and the Bekaa and Emekim Division, over 1,500 of whom are associated with the terrorist organization Hamas.

According to Palestinian reports, the security forces operating at the Shifa Hospital arrested the senior official of the political wing of the Islamic Jihad in the Shahja’ya neighborhood, Khaled al-Batash.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will arrive in Israel tomorrow for a visit of several hours, amid the tensions between the countries and the dispute over a possible operation in Rafah. Blinken will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of the War Management Cabinet.

The IDF spokesman announced that during the day an exercise will take place in the Dead Sea area, the purpose of which is to maintain the alertness and competence of the forces. The exercise will begin in the afternoon and end at night, and as part of it, there will be an active movement of the security forces in the area.

Families of abductees alongside demonstrators from the women’s protest blocked the Ayalon lanes heading north near the La Guardia interchange calling for the return of the abductees. The protesters are holding a sign with the faces of the cabinet members and the inscription “It’s up to you: not returning from Qatar without a deal”.

Reuters reports that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will host Defense Minister Yoav Galant next week. The meeting comes after Austin recently invited Galant to visit, and is separate from the announcement that followed the conversation between Biden and Netanyahu, who agreed to send a team of senior officials to Washington to discuss in developments regarding the war in Gaza.

The Saudi TV channel “Al-Hadth” reported from sources that five senior commanders in the pro-Iranian militias in Syria, including a Hezbollah commander, were killed in an airstrike aimed at the city of al-Mayadeen in the east of the country.

The Syrian Center for Monitoring Human Rights, an opposition organization to the Assad regime operating from London, reported three explosions in the area of ​​the city of al-Mayadeen in the Deir ez-Zor district, and that unidentified planes were flying in the area.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health claims that at least 15 people were killed in the air force attack that targeted a building in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the center of the Gaza Strip.