Israeli occupation forces announced early Tuesday the killing of a Palestinian man in the Nablus area of the occupied West Bank. The targeted killing of Abd al-Raouf Ishtayeh comes after a year and a half long pursuit.
According to a joint statement from Israeli security agencies, Ishtayeh was responsible for a vehicular attack at the Awarta checkpoint east of Nablus in May 2024, which resulted in the deaths of two Israeli soldiers.
Local sources reported that a special Israeli force, comprised of the Yamam unit, the army, and Shin Bet agents, carried out a targeted operation against Ishtayeh on Al-Hisba Street, east of Nablus. The forces surrounded the building where he was located.
The Israeli forces reportedly fired two missiles at the building, causing a large fire before declaring Ishtayeh ‘neutralized’ after confirming his location via drone. The statement from Israeli security agencies claimed that Ishtayeh was ‘armed and barricaded’ during the operation, and that ‘precise fire’ was used after confirming his location inside the building. The statement also indicated that several individuals suspected of assisting Ishtayeh during his time in hiding were arrested during the operation.
The Israeli statement asserted that Ishtayeh was responsible for the deaths of two soldiers from the Nahshon battalion in the May 2024 vehicular attack at the Awarta checkpoint. The Shin Bet and the army had been engaged in ‘continuous intelligence efforts’ since his initial escape, leading to this operation. Local accounts suggest that Ishtayeh had initially turned himself in to the Palestinian Authority following the attack, but Israeli forces later located him and carried out the killing after a sustained manhunt.
Ishtayeh had appeared in a recorded video statement circulating on social media, stating that he carried out the vehicular attack ‘in loyalty to the people of Gaza’ following Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023. Hamas has issued a statement mourning Ishtayeh’s death.
