Two Tanzim members killed in ambush

Al-Aksa men shot by soldiers who jumped out of a parked car in Jenin.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
al aksa 88 (photo credit: )
al aksa 88
(photo credit: )
Fatah's al-Aksa Martyrs' Brigades vowed to avenge the deaths of two of its members killed by Israeli security forces in eastern Jenin on Thursday. The two were identified as Ahmed Abahara and Mahmoud Ziad, both aged 18. During an operation to nab fugitives in Jenin, special Border Police forces set up an impromptu checkpoint to catch the two spotted driving in a car. They ignored calls to halt and attempted to crash through the checkpoint. Security forces opened fire causing the driver to lose control. Ziad and Abahra attempted to flee on foot and were shot. Security forces found a handgun in Abahra's possesion. According to security officials, Abahra a key member of the Fatah Tanzim worked closely with Islamic Jihad operatives in the area and was involved in plotting attacks and selling weapons. Earlier in the year his name was linked with a terror cell operating in the West Bank who attempted to manufacture Kassam rockets and mortar shells. Ziad, a low key member of the Fatah Tanzim acted as a coordinater between the cells. Thursday's raid was part of the ongoing clampdown on terrorists operating in the West Bank. Since the Hadera suicide bombing last month in which six Israelis were killed, security forces have arrested hundreds of Palestinians affiliated with the Islamic Jihad, Hamas and Al Aksa Brigades. Palestinian media reports claimed the two were riding in a car when four gunmen jumped out of a car that had been parked in the area for several hours and shot them. Palestinian Authority official Saeb Erekat condemned the incident warning that such actions could hamper attempts to achieve peace. Meanwhile north of Ramallah near the old British police station in Wadi Haramiya, Palestinian youth was shot and wounded by soldiers after he was caught throwing three firebombs at an Israeli car. No one was wounded but the car was damaged. Security forces who reached the site spotted two Palestinian youths who were involved in the attack and pursued them. The soldiers fired warning shots in the air, and when the two youths continued fleeing, soldiers shot aiming towards their legs. One of the Palestinians was wounded and transferred for treatment to a hospital in Israel.