WhatsappTulkarm, a Palestinian Authority controlled city close to Israel’s heavily populated cities of Kfar Saba, Ranaana, and Hod HaSharon has been seen as the nest big terror center behind Gaza and Jenin. Tulkarm’s proximity to Israel’s main population centers has made it a strategic danger for the Jewish state.
Since the beginning of the war with Hamas in Gaza, Tulkarm as well its neighbor Qalqilya have threatened Israel’s main population centers as well as potentially causing a strategic problem on Israel’s main North-South route, Highway 6, which is right next to both of them.
The IDF, border police, and anti-terror units have worked for months taking apart terror networks in both Tulkarm and Qalqilya. Last night they were able to eliminate Ashraf Nafa who is part of Tulkarm’s Hamas leadership as well as other terror leaders positioned there.
Joint IDF and ISA announcement:
“Overnight, the IDF, ISA, and Israeli Border Police conducted a joint counterterrorism operation in the Tulkarm area, as part of a series of over 50 counterterrorism operations in the area since the beginning of the war. The soldiers struck a number of armed terrorists in exchanges of fire and dismantled numerous explosives that had been planted underneath the roads.”
“During the operation, an IAF drone struck several terrorists from various terror organizations in the Tulkarm area. Among those struck were terrorists who were involved in the planning and carrying out of attacks against IDF soldiers and the State of Israel from the Tulkarm area.”
“Among those eliminated was Ashraf Nafa, the Head of the Hamas branch in the Tulkarm area. Ashraf was responsible for manufacturing and embedding explosives intended to attack IDF soldiers, as well as recruiting new operatives into the Hamas organization.”
“Additionally, he was involved in numerous attacks against IDF soldiers in Judea and Samaria, and was in contact with external Hamas terrorists who advanced terror attacks in Judea and Samaria.”
“Furthermore, the terrorist Muhammad Awad was eliminated during the operation. Muhammad was a terrorist in the area of Tulkarm, where he was actively involved in shooting attacks against IDF soldiers. In addition, he raised terror funds to support the battalion’s activity in the area, and procured weaponry for the battalion.”
