The police are requesting that the closure of the West Bank that began on Monday for the Purim holiday be extended an extra day due to concerns of revenge attacks in response to the IDF raid in Jenin on Tuesday, Army Radio reported on Wednesday.
The IDF is opposed to an extension of the closure, according to the report. Defense Minister Yoav Galant has not issued a decision on the matter as of yet. The closure is set to end at 11:59 p.m.
On Tuesday, Abdel Fattah Hussain Harusha, the terrorist who murdered Hallel and Yagel Yaniv in Huwara was killed in a firefight with the IDF and the National Counter Terror Unit (YAMAM) in Jenin.
In total, six Palestinians died in the raid and 26 more were wounded, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Two YAMAM officers were lightly injured by Palestinian fire during the raid in Jenin.
After the operation, the Islamic Jihad terrorist movement warned that “the resistance will not let the blood of its fighters and citizens be wasted, and the resistance’s response to the enemy’s crimes will not be long in coming.”
Hamas calls for more violence
Hamas called for an escalation of violence in the West Bank after the raid, stating “The crimes and massacres of the occupation will not frighten our people, but rather will increase their determination and strength in confronting the occupation and its settler militia.”
On Wednesday afternoon, shots were fired towards an informational tour being led by Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan at the Yosef Observation Point on Mount Gerizim next to Nablus.
According to the Samaria Regional Council, four shots were fired at the tour, forcing Dagan and guests from abroad who he was guiding to take cover.
"The settlement in Samaria will never lower its head. We are not afraid. And I say to Abu Mazen (Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas), the terrorist, and his murderous friends in Nablus, we, the people of Israel, are not afraid of you, we are stronger than you, we believe, and we will add light here, we will add construction here, we will add strength here, We will travel without fear, without concerns, we will defeat you, you bunch of barbarians," said Dagan.
The regional council head called on the government to act saying "the ball is in your court, you can't keep calling it a trickle, it's a wave of terrorism. The owner of the house must go crazy and stop this wave of terror, we will continue to travel and build and the people of Israel will win."
In October, shots were fired by Palestinians towards a rally Dagan was taking part in on the outskirts of Nablus, lightly injuring an IDF soldier. The rally was held to protest a shooting incident in the Samaria region of the West Bank earlier in the day and to call on the government to halt the increase in such attacks.
Video footage from that incident showed settlers and right-wing activists ducking behind cars. In one dramatic shot, Dagan could be seen with his pistol drawn, defending a group of children.
Tovah Lazaroff and Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.