Security forces killed 13 terrorists in and around Jenin late Wednesday night, including two of those directly involved in murdering three Israelis and wounding eight others on January 6 in Kedumim.

A third terrorist involved in that attack may have been arrested and turned over to the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) for interrogation, or it is possible this third detainee is more ancillary and that the third killer is still at large.

The hope is that the Shin Bet interrogation will clarify this matter.

The IDF said that the operation, in which the Shin Bet also took part, was a mix of seeking to surround and kill the terrorists who perpetrated the Kedumim attack as well as to completely neutralize the main terror cell in Jenin.

A senior West Bank IDF official said that changing the mission from invading the Jenin refugee camp as in the past to neutralizing the terror cell completely led to changes in the rules of engagement, the engineering efforts, and the immensity of the air power efforts.

For example, soldiers could have more aggressive rules of engagement against fleeing terrorists, engineers could be more aggressive in clearing dangerous areas even if this may cause more collateral property damage in the area, and far more drones and helicopters could be involved than even during the last 18 months when airstrikes in the West Bank were reauthorized.

Despite all of these increased military efforts, the IDF does not expect to remain in or occupy Jenin for more than a period of days or a week or two.

Part of the operation involved Duvdevan special forces chasing and cornering the terrorists involved in the Kedumim attack.

Around 2,000 Palestinians voluntarily evacuated from the refugee camp area but the IDF official acknowledged that there are still some civilians within and that there are still some restrictions on rules of engagement so as not to fire on civilians.

The military official rejected political officials’ comparisons between the power of the Jenin terror cell to Gaza but said the level of organization and operations of the terrorists in Jenin were at a much stronger level than they had been in recent years.

Further, the official said this was true despite the fact that the IDF has engaged in multiple large operations in Jenin since mid-2023.

A few battalions were involved in the operation, including Duvdevan and Egoz special forces, along with Sayeret Haruv, Battalion 90, and special police forces.

The wider operation began Tuesday, and part of the timing was determined by the security forces seeing that the Jenin terror cell was starting to redevelop more dangerous fighting capabilities, even as the Palestinian Authority had rooted out and arrested aspects of the terror cell there.

Col. Ayub Kayuf, who was recently wounded in a different operation, returned to service to command and lead the operation.

The terror shooting

At least two terrorists carried out the shooting attack on January 6 against a passing bus and civilian cars, which killed three people – Rachel Cohen, 73, Aliza Reiss, 70, and police St.-Sgt.-Maj. Elad Winkelstein, 35 – at close range near the northern West Bank village of Funduk.

According to the IDF, the two terrorists, Mohamad Nazzal and Katiba Shalabi, both residents of Kabatiya, barricaded themselves in the Burqin area near Jenin. Several other terrorists were killed and several others were arrested for questioning.

During the overnight operation, a soldier was moderately wounded and was evacuated to a nearby hospital.

The two terrorists were affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Jenin. The PA had been operating inside Jenin over the past few weeks in an attempt to root out any terrorist activity, leading to a rise in tensions in the area.

At the time of the attack, Winkelstein was in the car with his young son. The police officer managed to shoot two bullets towards the terrorist before he was killed. He lived in Ein Hanatziv with his wife, two daughters, and son. He had previously lived in Kedumim, serving as the town’s security coordinator.

Cohen was a school counselor and a mother of five daughters. Reiss was also a school counselor and is survived by her children and family. Cohen and Reiss were in the same car when they were shot.