In an intense firefight in the city of Tulkarm in Samaria, the Israel Defense Forces managed to kill the most wanted terror commander in the West Bank and four other terrorists, while another senior terror operative was arrested, the army said Thursday morning.

The IDF on Wednesday morning announced the start of a large-scale counter-terror operation focusing on the towns of Jenin and Tulkarem but including several other locations. Army Radio reported that the raids are expected to last several days and will be on a scale not seen in Judea and Samaria (West Bank) since 2022's Operation Defensive Shield.

Muhammad Jaber, better known under his nom de guerre "Abu Shuja'a," was killed while hiding in a mosque in the Nur a-Shams camp near Tulkarm.

"During the fighting, a Yamam fighter was lightly injured and at the end of the activity was taken to a hospital for medical treatment," the IDF stated.

According to Palestinian reports cited by Army Radio, soldiers of the IDF, the Shin Bet and the Border Police commando Yamam entered the camp dressed as Arab civilians before encircling the building.

An intense gun battle developed, during which the Israeli forces fired four missiles at the building.

In the end, five terrorists were killed and another leader of the Tulkarm Battalion terror group, named Muhammad Qassas, was arrested.

"Muhammad Jaber, 'Abu Shuja'a', the head of the terrorist organization in Nur a-Shams, was involved in many attacks, as well as directing the shooting attack last June, during which the late Amnon Muchtar was murdered," the army said.

Palestinian media reported that 11 Palestinians were killed amid the ongoing IDF operation, raising the overall death toll since late Tuesday night to 16, in addition to dozens of wounded.

Groups affiliated with Fatah, the political party of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, announced Thursday that two of the killed were members of the PA's security forces, which are funded by the U.S. and the European Union, among others.

The elimination of Abu Shuja'a is a first significant success of the IDF's large-scale operation across several towns in Judea and Samaria (West Bank), including Jenin, Tulkarm, Tubas, and others.

He was among the most wanted terrorists in the area and had escaped several assassination attempts in the past.

"This is a senior terrorist who directed many attacks, and was a factor that greatly destabilized the entire region of northern Samaria. He grew up in a poor home as a marginalized child, but thanks to a dominant personality – became a symbol as the leader of the terrorists in Nur a-Shams," according to Army Radio's military correspondent, Doron Kadosh.

Republished with permission from All Israel News