Israel Army reports killing top militant in West Bank strike
In a pre-dawn operation on Wednesday, the Israeli army reported the successful targeted killing of a prominent Palestinian militant in the occupied West Bank. Ahmed Abdullah Abu Shalal, identified as a major threat, was neutralized in an air strike that thwarted an impending “terrorist attack” he was allegedly planning.
Abu Shalal, implicated in a series of “terrorist attacks” over the past year, including an incident in annexed east Jerusalem, met his end in a precision air strike, as depicted in a video released by the Israeli army.
The Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah received the body of an “unidentified martyr,” described as a victim of an Israeli bombing on a vehicle, and transported it to a hospital in Nablus.
According to the Israeli army, intelligence had uncovered Abu Shalal’s cell intentions to carry out an imminent terrorist attack. While specific details were not provided, the army attributed to him a shooting incident in the Shimon HaTzadik neighborhood of east Jerusalem in April of the previous year, resulting in injuries to two residents. Additionally, Abu Shalal was held responsible for a bomb attack on Israeli troops in October, causing injuries to one soldier. The army did not disclose the location where the soldiers were targeted.
The military statement asserted, “Under Abdullah’s leadership, the terrorist infrastructure in the Balata refugee camp in Nablus has received funding and guidance from Iranian sources.”
The West Bank has witnessed heightened violence since the commencement of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza on October 7. The level of unrest has reached proportions not seen since the second Palestinian uprising or intifada between 2000 and 2005. Israeli army operations, coupled with attacks by settlers, have led to an estimated 350 casualties in the territory, according to an AFP tally based on sources from both sides.
