2 Israeli Police Officers Wounded Near Kever Rachel

JENIN (Reuters/Hamodia) —
Hamas supporters take part in a rally marking the anniversary of the death of its leaders killed by Israel, in Gaza City on Sunday. (REUTERS/Mohammed Salem)
Hamas supporters take part in a rally marking the anniversary of the death of its leaders killed by Israel, in Gaza City on Sunday. (REUTERS/Mohammed Salem)
Wanted Hamas terrorist Killed in Jenin

Two Border Police officers were lightly-to-moderately wounded, near Kever Rochel,  when Palestinian rioters threw an improvised explosive device and Molotov cocktails at them.

The Border Police force responded with non-lethal crowd dispersal means.

Israeli forces shot three Palestinians dead over the weekend in a raid on a home in Jenin to capture a wanted Hamas terrorist, Israeli military and Palestinian officials said.

The Israeli military raided a home in a refugee camp in Jenin where they shot and killed a Hamza Abu Alhija, after he opened fire. Two Israeli troops were wounded when he shot at them.

IDF spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerne said everyone but Alhija had left the surrounded building before the shootout. Alhija first shot an attack dog that was sent inside and then opened fire on the troops outside, wounding two soldiers. When he attempted to escape while still shooting at the Israelis, the troops returned fire and killed him, Lerner said.

Within minutes, a mob numbering hundreds of angry residents and gunmen gathered and attacked the soldiers with Molotov cocktails and rocks. The troops opened fire and killed two Palestinians and wounded several more, he said.

Alhija was the son of Hamas leader Jamal Alhija, one of the longest-serving prisoners being held in Israel.

The Palestinian Authority denounced the incident and said it threatened U.S.-brokered peace talks ahead of a looming April deadline set by Secretary of State John Kerry.

Nabil Abu Rdainah, spokesman for Mahmoud Abbas, urged Washington to take steps “to prevent a collapse” of negotiations.

In Gaza, Palestinians fired guns into the air at the men’s’ funeral in Jenin. Flags from their terrorist groups draped their coffins and thousands of mourners shouted calls for revenge and chanted against Abbas’s involvement in talks with Israel.

“Where are you Abbas? They killed us while you watched,” was one of the chants heard.

The incident touched off violence elsewhere, as well. Throughout the day protesters in Yehudah and Shomron and east Yerushalayim hurled stones at Israeli security forces. Outside the gates of the Old City of Yerushalayim demonstrators chanted and waved the Palestinian flag before they were dispersed by Israeli troops.

Also on Sunday, tens of thousands of Hamas supporters massed in the streets of Gaza City to mark the 10-year anniversary of the assassination of Sheik Ahmed Yassin in an Israeli airstrike a decade ago, as well as the assassinations of other top Hamas figures.

Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh told the crowd that Hamas would not recognize Israel, called on Fatah to withdraw from the peace talks, and vowed revenge.

To Read The Full Story

Are you already a subscriber?
Click to log in!