An Israeli drone strike killed two gunmen who threatened troops in the Balata camp on the outskirts of Nablus (Shechem) in central Samaria early Thursday, including a terrorist released in last November's hostage/cease-fire deal.

Wael Masha, 18, was freed from prison as part of the agreement a year after his arrest.

Earlier this week, another terrorist released from prison in November's cease-fire deal with Hamas, Tarek Daoud, 18, opened fire on an Israeli man in Qalqilya, seriously wounding him, before being pursued and killed by security forces.

November's deal with the Gaza-based terrorist group saw Palestinian security prisoners released in exchange for Israeli civilians abducted by Hamas during its Oct. 7 invasion of the northwestern Negev.

The other gunman killed on Thursday was named as Ahmed Faras a-Sheikh Khali. According to the IDF, the terrorists opened fire and threw explosives at Israeli forces operating in the area, who returned fire and detected a hit. Afterward, an Israeli Air Force drone strike killed the two armed terrorists.

According to Palestinian sources, four others were wounded in the Balata airstrike.

Before his release in November, Masha was serving time for contacting a terrorist from Islamic Jihad and receiving money from him to produce explosives, although in the end he did not produce explosives, according to Kan News.

In a separate operation, IDF and Border Police troops secured the entry of Jewish worshippers to Joseph's Tomb in Nablus.

Republished with permission from Jewish News Syndicate