Israeli forces conducted brigade-level raids overnight and Saturday across Judea and Samaria, arresting more than 70 wanted suspects. The operation included a focus on the village of Tell, where the terrorist who carried out Friday's deadly shooting attack resided. The IDF said the forces apprehended Hamas-affiliated suspects, individuals involved in advancing explosive device attacks, and arms traffickers, and confiscated weapons.
The IDF's Saturday evening statement revealed that the overnight and Saturday operations across Judea and Samaria resulted in the arrest of over 70 wanted suspects, marking a significant escalation from earlier reports. The operation, described as brigade-level, also focused on the village of Tell, home of the Friday shooting attacker. The latest figure updates the earlier reports from the morning, providing an official count from the military.
Reporting on the operation's scope evolved rapidly throughout the day. At 07:59 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported initial figures of six Palestinians arrested and over 40 questioned in the village of Tell. Minutes later, at the same timestamp, the Palestinian Prisoners' Club claimed about 80 arrests across the region, with over 40 from Tell. The IDF then confirmed at 07:59 that it was mapping the homes of two terrorists and conducting arrests. By 12:39 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported that Israeli forces were mapping the homes and conducting arrests and interrogations. The new figure of over 70 arrests from the IDF is lower than the Palestinian claim but higher than the initial reports.
The operation follows Friday's deadly shooting attack, in which two terrorists opened fire near the village of Tell, killing one and wounding another. As The Zioneer reported at 18:10 Jerusalem on Friday, the IDF and Shin Bet arrested two of the terrorists in Shechem, and Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth vowed a wide thwarting operation. The current sweep, spanning multiple regional brigades, involves searches of hundreds of locations and questioning of dozens of additional suspects.
The IDF's statement did not provide casualty figures or indicate any Israeli casualties during the operation. It also did not specify the exact number of arrests from Tell or the breakdown of charges. The operation is ongoing.
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