Nineteen wanted terrorists were apprehended by IDF forces throughout Judea and Samaria during the night Wednesday. The captured men include members of several terror organizations, including those operated by Fatah, headed by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, and by Hamas, currently ruling the PA legislature.
One PA terrorist was caught by soldiers near Jenin and three others in Tulkarem, east of Netanya on Israel's Mediterranean coast. Two of the Tulkarem terrorists are members of Fatah's Tanzim and the third is a member of Islamic Jihad.
In Hevron, soldiers apprehended four Hamas terrorists. Four additional Hamas terrorists were captured near Kalkilya, adjacent to the Jewish city of Kfar Saba in the Sharon region. Outside Kalkilya, soldiers uncovered several firebombs ready to throw.
On Thursday morning, a large contingent of soldiers surrounded a building in Shechem in an effort to capture Arab terrorists hiding inside.
A ninth Hamas terrorist was arrested near Ramallah, as was a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
In and around Shechem (Nablus), IDF forces captured eight terrorists, three of whom are members of Fatah, three of the Islamic Jihad, and one of the PFLP. During operations in the Samaria city, soldiers were attacked with a makeshift grenade. Northeast of the city, soldiers came under gunfire and an explosive device was detonated by enemy forces. The soldiers spotted three gunmen in a building nearby, returned fire, and injured one of the presumed attackers. No soldiers were injured in the attacks and no damage was caused.
On Thursday morning, a large contingent of soldiers surrounded a building in Shechem in an effort to capture Arab terrorists hiding inside. As of this writing, the operation is continuing.
Most army forces left Shechem on Wednesday night, as the four-day "Operation Hot Winter" began to wind down. Several terrorists were arrested during the offensive, and three explosives labs were discovered and destroyed.
In addition to counter-terrorist operations, IDF soldiers rescued two Israeli citizens from the Palestinian Authority-controlled city of Ramallah on Wednesday night. The soldiers worked in cooperation with members of the PA's official militia. In the IDF announcement of the incident, army officials reminded Israelis that the law prohibits entry into PA-controlled areas such as Ramallah. While Israelis are allowed to enter areas in which PA control is only partial, the army strongly discourages it, as those areas are considered dangerous.
In separate Arab attacks on Jewish targets on Wednesday evening, PA residents hurled rocks at vehicles with Israeli license plates traveling near Ramallah and along the Gush Etzion-Hevron thoroughfare. The latter attacks took place near the Arab settlements of Halhoul and El-Arub. No injuries were reported; however, damage was reported in both cases.