At least 5 gunmen killed as IDF targets West Bank terror attack cell, officials say

Several Palestinian gunmen were killed in a military raid near the West Bank city of Jericho early Monday, as part of an operation to apprehend suspects involved in a shooting attack on a nearby restaurant last month, the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet security agency said.

On January 28, two Palestinian gunmen approached the Me Casa restaurant near the Almog Junction, close to Jericho, which was serving some 30 customers at the time. One of the gunmen opened fire, but after a single shot his gun jammed, and the pair fled toward Jericho in a car, the military said.

The IDF and Shin Bet in a joint statement said the pair planned a “mass murder spree” at the restaurant.

There were no injuries in the attack.

Since the attack, the IDF’s Military Intelligence and Shin Bet have focused efforts on locating the pair, which have been thought to be part of a wider Hamas-affiliated armed group in the Aqabat Jabr refugee camp, adjacent to Jericho. The IDF also established a temporary checkpoint and for several days troops were questioning Palestinians entering and exiting Jericho. READ MORE