WEST BANK, Jun 10 (NNN-PNN) – Two officers in the Palestinian Authority’s Military Intelligence unit were reportedly shot dead last night, in an exchange of fire with Israeli forces operating in the northern West Bank.
A third Palestinian was critically wounded in the incident, which began when officers in the Yamam Border Police counterterrorism unit, sought to arrest several Palestinian suspects outside the headquarters of the PA Military Intelligence Unit in Jenin.
The Palestinian officers on guard duty outside the compound noticed the arrest operation taking place, with the Israeli forces operating out of a civilian vehicle and chose to engage, reports said.
It was not immediately clear whether the PA officers were aware when they opened fire that those pursuing the Palestinian suspects were Israeli soldiers.
A commander in the PA security forces told the Palestinian Al Quds news site that, the IDF (Israel Defence Force) did not warn his soldiers of their Jenin arrest operation ahead of time.
The Yamam officers responded with several rounds of their own resulting in the deaths of Lieutenant Adham Aliwi, 23, and Captain Taysir Issa, 33, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
The Israeli under-cover unit still managed to carry out two arrests during the operation, according to Palestinian media.
No Israeli troops were injured in the incident, according to unsourced Hebrew media reports.
Typically, Israeli troops coordinate their entry into Palestinian cities with PA security forces, in order to allow the latter to draw back and avoid confrontation. However, miscommunications have taken place in the past, leading IDF soldiers to mistakenly target PA forces, thinking they are terror operatives.– NNN-PNN
The Israeli under-cover unit still managed to carry out two arrests during the operation, according to Palestinian media.
No Israeli troops were injured in the incident, according to unsourced Hebrew media reports.
A spokesperson for Border Police did not immediately return a request for comment.
Typically, Israeli troops coordinate their entry into Palestinian cities with PA security forces in order to allow the latter to draw back and avoid confrontation. However, miscommunications have taken place in the past leading IDF soldiers to mistakenly target PA forces, thinking they are terror operatives.
