IDF Special Forces killed the head of the Islamic Jihad terrorist group in Judea and Samaria Wednesday morning.
The top terrorist, Walid Abeidi, was hiding out in the village of Kabatiya, south of Jenin.
The IDF unit came to arrest Abeidi, but a shootout ensued as he and his men attempted to prevent the force from entering the hideout.
The 44-year-old terror chief ran out of the building at a certain point, opening fire on the soldiers, who returned fire. He was hit and eliminated. Four accomplices were arrested as well. Two were wounded in gunfighting with the IDF and were brought to an Israeli hospital for life-saving treatment. No IDF injuries were reported.
Abeidi, who handled the logistical and strategic dispatching of terrorists for the Islamist terrorist group in the region, had been wanted by Israel for several years.
(Photo: IDF)
"Abeidi was directly responsible for several murderous suicide bombings, amongst them the planning of the April 2006 suicide bombing in Tel Aviv in which eleven civilians were killed and dozens injured," an IDF statement said. "He planned the March 2006 attempted suicide bombing on Route 1. Kafeh Nuahadeh, an Islamic Jihad suicide bomber, traveled to his target on Route 1 with a bag containing explosives that was manufactured by the terrorist organization controlled by Abeidi. The attack was successfully intercepted at the last minute due to the high alert of security forces and the early warning provided by the Shabak. In November 2006, another suicide bombing organized by the organization was foiled in Israeli territory when the bomber was arrested and the explosives handed over."
Elsewhere in Judea and Samaria, 25 wanted PA terrorists were arrested overnight. One of them was nabbed in Hevron and the rest in Shechem.
The men were handed over to the Shabak (General Security Service) for interrogation.
