Following a successful operation in the village of Silwad in the Ramallah area on Wednesday evening, IDF forces are continuing to operate in the region against terrorist suspects.
On Wednesday night, security forces apprehended Hamed Maad , a Hamas terrorist who was part of the cell which murdered Malachi Rosenfeld in 2015. Forces surrounded his house and demanded that he surrender.
Hamed had been imprisoned by Palestinian Authority security forces since the attack. On Wednesday, the Shabak received information indicating that Maad had escaped and was planning a terrorist attack against Israeli targets in the near future.
Sara Rosenfeld, Malachi's mother, told Kan Reshet Bet on Thursday that the arrest of the terrorist was very meaningful for the family. "Exactly 20 years ago, my oldest son, Yitzhak, was killed in a flash flood in the Tzeelim river. Last night, Malachi 'came home' and what happened has brought Yitzhak and Malachi together with the same sense of longing as well as a feeling that justice has been done.
"We really feel the support of the public," she added, "each person in his own way. And this helps us to continue to choose to go on living."
Along with Maad, a number of other suspected terrorist operatives were arrested and have been transferred to the Shabak for interrogation. They were apprehended in a lengthy operation that began with security forces surrounding a house in which three wanted men were holed up and calling for them to emerge. When they failed to respond, security forces used gunfire and a variety of other means to persuade them to comply and eventually the men left the house with no injuries.
"Nothing can bring back my son," Sara Rosenfeld said on Channel 13 News. "I knew that the person who had fired the shot was in Ramallah but we didn't realize that his location was known. The fact that he has no remorse and that he even escaped prison in order to carry out another attack is simply chilling.
"Until now, we felt as if people had forgotten all about Malachi, forgotten about us," she added. "But a quarter of an hour before the news broke, we were contacted by the Shabak who updated us, and that was very significant for me. After I put down the phone, I burst into tears."
Eliezer Rosenfeld, Malachi's father, said, "This was very emotional news. It won't bring Malachi back, but somehow, justice has been served, and I'm of course happy that the security forces have prevented additional attacks. We were just waiting for the day when he would slip up."
Speaking after the operation, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said: "We have arrested the murderer of Malachi Rosenfeld. Seven years ago, the heinous terrorist Maad Hamed carried out a shooting attack on a vehicle in the area of Kida and killed Malachi Rosenfeld and wounded three of his friends.
"He recently escaped detention by the PA and was on his way to carry out an attack against Israelis. Our security forces along with Shabak agents went into action and captured him, thus preventing a serious incident. Our forces also arrested other suspects involved in the attack. The long arm of our security forces will reach everyone who raises a hand against us," Bennett added.