The three were killed during a joint IDF, Israeli Police and Shabak (General Security Services) operation near Baka al-Gharbia (10 miles from the Mediterranean coast between Tel Aviv and Haifa), aimed at arresting them. They were found in Ilaar, southeast of the city, holed up in a building. Security forces surrounded the building and called on them to give themselves up. At a certain point, two of the terrorists burst out of the house, shooting at troops and trying to escape. They were shot and killed. The third terrorist succeeded in escaping toward the neighboring village of Tzaida, but was shot as he fled.
No member of Israeli security forces was injured during the operation.
One of the terrorists was identified as Ra'ed J'ajaj. He has been wanted since 2003 and has recently become the Islamic Jihad boss in the village of Tzaida. The other two terrorists were Jamil Abu Sa'ada, 25 and Sa'id al-Ashkar, 23, who is close with Islamic Jihad's leadership.
The three were all armed and wearing bullet-proof vests. AK- 47 assault rifles were found on J'ajaj and Abu Sa'ada, and an M-16 rifle and pistol were found on al-Ashkar.
The terror cell the three belonged to and coordinated was responsible for the Stage Club bombing in February 2005, which killed five and wounded 55; the bombing of the Sharon Mall in Netanya, which killed five and wounded 88; and a car bomb attack in Shavei Shomron, which failed to cause any injuries. A statement from the IDF says the three planned on carrying out additional attacks in the coming days.
All three had also been involved in shooting attacks aimed at Israeli civilians as well as IDF soldiers in the Tul Karem region, as well as in the abduction and violent torture of Arabs suspected of cooperating with Israel.
The three, together with others in Islamic Jihad, have accumulated information necessary to the development of missiles which would enable terrorists to fire on Jewish communities in Samaria, as well as in pre-1967 Israel.
The IDF has uncovered Kassam rocket factories in Jenin and Tul Karem and top IDF officials, including former Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon, have said that it is only a matter of time until rockets are fired on Israel's central cities.