After nearly four weeks of manhunt, the Israeli security forces have eliminated three terrorists involved in the murder of a British-Israeli mother and her two daughters in a roadside shooting near the Palestinian town of Jericho.
In a joint operation conducted by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), the Shin Bet security agency, and police special forces, at least three terrorists were killed and eight injured in the Palestinian town of Nablus. Two of the slain terrorists were members of the Islamic terrorist group Hamas, the Israeli TV channel i24news confirmed.
On April 7, Palestinian gunmen ambushed the car carrying 48-year-old Lucy Dee and her daughters Rina, 15, and Maia, 20. The daughters were declared dead at the scene, while their mother died of her injuries a few days later. Their father, Rabbi Leo Dee, traveled in a separate car and witnessed the gruesome shooting.
Palestinian ‘worshipers’ on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount were seen cheering the deadly attack on the Rabbi’s wife and daughters. They gleefully handed out sweets in the West Bank streets in celebration, the video clips circulating on social media show.
No casualties were reported on the Israeli side. However, a dog belonging to Israel’s police canine unit died “while shielding” soldiers from the terrorist gunfire, the Israeli media reported. “A beloved Border Police canine was killed during an Israeli military raid in Nablus on Thursday, during which the terrorists that had murdered Lucy Dee and her daughters Maya and Rina were killed,” the Israel Hayom newspaper confirmed. “Seven years old, Django participated in hundreds of operations by the Yamam counterterrorism unit to arrest individuals suspected of terror activity,” the daily added.
The Jerusalem Post reported Thursday’s successful counter-terrorism operation:
The IDF, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and Police SWAT and border security teams on Thursday killed at least three terrorists in Nablus who were behind the Dee family murders. (…)The three killed terrorists were Hassan Katan, Maad Mitzri and Ibrahim Hura. Katan and Mitzri were the killers of the Dee family and are members of Hamas and Hura was a key accomplice. A fourth Palestinian civilian bystander, Ziad Shuviri, was reportedly killed during the operation.A statement by the IDF and Shin Bet mentioned a gunfight between the forces, but the Jerusalem Post has indications that an explosive drone was used.A senior official from IDF Central Command said that the operation was completed at an unusually fast speed, within only one hour, as opposed to the usual multiple to several hours.He said that “With less talent and exactness [in intelligence and operations], more IDF personnel or Palestinian civilians could have been hurt” or the terrorists might have escaped.However, he did add that eight Palestinians were injured, while saying none of them had been innocent bystanders.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant welcomed the news of security forces hunting down the terrorist culprits after a month-long search.
The Times of Israel reported the Israeli government’s response:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Israeli security forces for “settling the score” with the alleged killers.“Our message to those who harm us and those trying to harm us is that it may take a day, a week or a month, but be sure that we’ll settle the score with you. It doesn’t matter where you try to hide, we’ll find you. Whoever harms us forfeits his life,” the premier said in a statement.Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also hailed the Thursday morning operation in Nablus.“I commend our security forces for eliminating the terror squad that carried out the heinous attack in Hamra, which took the lives of Lucy Dee, and her daughters Rina and Maia. Just as I promised Leo, the father of the family, the long arm of the defense establishment will reach any terrorist,” Gallant said on Twitter.
Rabbi Leo Dee, whose wife and daughters were killed in the West Bank terrorist attack, also responded to the justice being served to the murders.
The news website Ynet reported:
Rabbi Leo Dee spoke to Ynet after the raid and expressed relief that the killers of his wife and daughters were no longer able to harm anyone else.”The world will be able to sleep better when these terrorists are no longer alive. I am very happy to hear that no soldier or civilian was hurt or affected in the event. It is a mission that only the IDF and the Shin Bet can do,” he said.”We are proud to live in a country where security forces are so precise and skilled, and we are very grateful to the army and forces for assassinating the terrorists.”
Despite Israel’s latest success against Palestinian terrorists and jihadists, the Jewish State continues to battle terrorism. Hours after the counter-terrorist operation in Nablus, a knife-wielding female terrorist attacked an Israeli soldier near Nablus.
A female “assailant stabbed an IDF soldier in the town of Huwara. The soldier was lightly injured, pushed away the assailant and neutralized her along with an additional soldier in the area,” the IDF said in an initial statement seen by the Legal Insurrection. “The soldier received initial medical treatment at the scene and was evacuated to a hospital for further medical treatment. His family has been notified,” the IDF added.
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