Israeli media: army failed to achieve its goals in Jenin

Israeli occupation forces failed to arrest members of the Palestinian cell accused of killing a settler rabbi near Nablus last week, Israel’s Channel 2 has reported.

According to the channel, Israeli forces invaded the West Bank town of Jenin and surrounded several houses where the cell members were believed to have been hiding.

Israeli armed forces then stormed a house and was engaged in an armed clash, which led to the killing of Ahmed Isma’il Jarrar, 31.

Channel 2 said the army is continuing its operations in Jenin in search of other members of the cell and their weapons, explaining that the cell includes 3 to 5 members.

The channel indicated that a number of military units participated in the operation, including the Border Police, the Special Police Unit, the General Security Service (GSS, or Shin Bet) and fighters from the Givati Brigade, an elite army unit.

Read: Israel settler shot and killed near his illegal outpost in Nablus region

Meanwhile, Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that the operation is expected to continue in Jenin throughout the day, with the aim of locating and arresting other suspects and finding equipments used by cell members.

Hundreds of Israeli soldiers were deployed inside and outside the city, and, because of the complexity of the operation, it is expected to continue while clashes with Palestinians in the city are expected to escalate, the paper added.