IDF Captures Senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad Terrorist

Yahya Saadi was arrested in the village of Jabariat in Samaria.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

A senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad figure was arrested by Israeli security forces during counter-terror raids across Judea and Samaria on Sunday night.

Yahya Saadi, who is suspected of terror activity, was arrested in the village of Jabariat, in Samaria. He is the son of Bassem Saadi PIJ commander whose arrest in August sparked two days of Gaza rocket fire and Israeli retaliation.

In other raids, three suspects affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine were arrested in the Dheisheh Refugee Camp near Bethlehem. The suspects threw improvised explosive devices and firebombs at the Israeli security personnel who returned fire. According to the Palestinian Authority Health Ministry, a 22-year-old Palestinian identified as Omar Manna was killed.

Joint operations between the Israel Defense Forces, Shin Bet and Border Police also took place in the villages of Qalqiliya, Hussan, Deir Istiya, Ni’lin, Kifal Harat, El Bira, Beit Kahal, Samua, Tapuh, Beit Awwa and the Jilzon Refugee Camp.

Overall, 14 suspects were arrested.

In a separate development, Israel Police arrested a 21-year-old Palestinian resident of the Shuafat Refugee Camp near Jerusalem on Monday morning after an M-16 rifle was found in his car at the Shuafat checkpoint in eastern Jerusalem.

An Israeli soldier was killed in a shooting attack at the same checkpoint in October.

In an ongoing sweep against terror in Judea and Samaria, the IDF has thwarted 500 terror attacks and arrested more than 2,500 suspects. Operation Wave Breaker was launched by the IDF following a surge of Palestinian terror attacks in the spring which killed 19 people. Overall, 31 people have been killed in Palestinian terror attacks in 2022.