The Israeli Air Force (IAF) announced late Thursday that it carried out an airstrike in Turkalum as part of a joint IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) operation against Hamas activities in the West Bank.
The attack targeted Zahi Yasser Abd al-Razek Ufi, a Hamas commander who headed the Turkham Hamas network, the IDF said in an update.
Previous reports said the attack targeted Ayis Radwan, commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Turkalm battalion. However, Israeli media still reported that he was killed in the airstrike, and the IDF confirmed that other terrorists were also killed.
At least 20 Palestinians were killed in the attack, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.
The airstrike targeted a cafe in the al-Hammam district in the eastern part of the city. Israeli security forces seen during an IDF raid in Turkum, West Bank, September 3, 2024 (Credit: TOMER NEUBERG/FLASH90)
Fatah officials announced a general strike in Tulkarm on Friday in protest of the strike.
Who was Oufy?
The Israel Defense Forces revealed that Ufi planned and led an attempted car bombing in Ateret in September.
Ufi supplied weapons to numerous terrorists in the region and planned and led a number of additional terrorist attacks in the West Bank.
The Israel Defense Forces said he was planning to carry out a terrorist attack soon and needed to be removed immediately.
Several other terrorists were also eliminated in the airstrike, but the IDF has not confirmed any other fatalities.
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IDF forces conducted an operation in Turkum in early September in an attempt to eradicate insurgents in the city.
Reuters contributed to this report.
