Deputy-Superintendent D. told Yediot Aharonot that Border Police went to Jenin to arrest suspects wanted by the Shin Bet. While the troops prepared for a routine mission, they came under intense fire on their way out of the city as terrorists fired at them from just a few meters away. D. explained that in previous incidents, the shooting had been carried out from hundreds of meters away.
"They identified our convoy and attacked us in a well-planned ambush," said D. "While we were driving out of the city they followed our convoy of cars, stopped at an intersection in front of us, which we reached only after a few minutes, and blocked it with their cars. Meanwhile, the terrorists got out of the cars, stood on either side of the intersection and waited for us."
When the Border Police officers reached the intersection, the terrorists opened fire on them from all sides. "It was an encounter reminiscent of Lebanon," D. told Yediot Aharonot. "It took time to figure out what was going on, where all the fire was coming from. It was a big mess. Then, bikers came very close to our convoy and started throwing large explosive devices at the vehicles."
"They prepared surprise after surprise for us," added D. "We recovered quickly, got out of the vehicles and fired back. But already at that moment, I realized that something must be done, that we cannot be shot at like this without responding. It was an incident that changed my perception."
After the ambush, the undercover unit began preparing a special operation to apprehend the terrorists who ambushed them, with the goal of surprising the terrorists in their own territory. The forces entered the city on Sunday night in order to arrest suspects wanted by the Shin Bet with the added plan of catching the terrorists who had ambushed them previously.
The forces, including the undercover Border Police unit of Judea and Samaria, the IDF's Menashe Regional Brigade and Border Police, entered the city in a convoy of about ten armored vehicles. Even before the forces entered the city, a number of undercover Border Police officers entered Jenin and mixed in with the civilian population.
On Monday morning, Border Police announced that as the forces prepared to leave Jenin, Palestinians opened fire and threw many explosive charges towards them.
During the clashes, vehicles came under heavy fire, with one of them becoming stuck in the area. Additional forces helped rescue the trapped officers while under fire. No injuries were reported among the Israeli forces.
"In those seconds you feel like a sitting duck,” D. told Yediot Aharonot, recounting when the vehicle got stuck. “I started running through my worst-case scenarios. I was thinking about wounded, rescue helicopters, ambulances, a big fauda (meaning "chaos"). About seven tense minutes passed that separated the success of the operation we had planned from a mess whose outcome would be unknown and you do not know how you will get out of it."
The security forces decided to leave their vehicles and return fire, hitting two terrorists. One of the terrorists was pulled from the scene by another person, leaving his M-16 assault rifle behind and the forces managed to retrieve the weapon while under fire.
Once the stuck vehicle was freed, the security forces continued towards the site where they had been ambushed before, where the undercover officers were waiting. "It was really a game of cat and mouse," said D. "We were prepared, but everything was quiet. Not too much happened. Suddenly three gunmen started firing on our convoy. The undercover force encircled them, fired at them, hit the three of them and we got out."
Armed clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces have become a regular event in Jenin, according to Palestinian media.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group welcomed the continued clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces in Jenin on Monday.
"The duty of the resistance fighters and everyone who bears arms is to confront this enemy, and stopping the storming of cities, villages and camps in the West Bank is not achieved through begging and negotiation, but rather by confrontation and force, as they are the only way to deter the occupation," said PIJ spokesperson Tariq Salmi.
In June, two members of the Palestinian Authority’s military intelligence and one Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist were shot and killed by Israeli security forces in the West Bank city, according to Palestinian reports.
The two military intelligence members, Adham Yasser Eleiwi and Tayseer Ayasa, were killed in a firefight after the Israeli troops entered the city to arrest terror suspects. Muhammad Samer al-Bazour, another member of PA intelligence services, was reportedly critically wounded.
The Israeli forces reportedly entered Jenin to arrest Jamil al-Amouri and Wissam Abu Zaid, members of PIJ’s al-Quds Brigades and the two were reportedly detained. Amouri reportedly died from the injuries he sustained in the firefight.
At the time, a spokesman for PA President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the incident, calling it a “dangerous Israeli escalation” and warned of “repercussions,” according to the Palestinian WAFA news agency.