Israeli soldiers during a raid in the West Bank city of Jenin on March 30, 2022. Photo: Reuters/Mohamad Torokman

i24 News — Five Israel Border Police officers were wounded during an operation against Palestinian terrorists in Tulkarm in the West Bank, according to a joint announcement by the Ministry of Defense and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesperson’s Unit on Thursday.

The operation — which involved soldiers from the Israel Border Police’s Counterterrorism Unit (IOSH), the Mageb (Border Police), and the IDF — took place in the Tulkarm refugee camp within the Menashe division. The mission’s primary objective was the arrest of a suspect linked to terrorist activities.

During the operation, an exchange of fire erupted, and it is believed that a grenade thrown by Israeli soldiers boomeranged and wounded them. In response, the Israeli forces engaged with fire, successfully hitting the terrorists.

Five members of the Mageb were injured by the grenade explosions. Two of them sustained serious injuries, one is in critical condition, and the other two were categorized as lightly to moderately injured.

The IDF is faced with uncertainty regarding the specific circumstances of the grenade incident. It was unclear whether the grenade, initially thrown by IDF forces, caused harm to those who launched it due to an unusual occurrence of the explosive striking a fence and rebounding toward them.

Alternatively, there was the possibility that the Palestinian terrorists managed to retrieve the grenade and throw it back at the IDF before it detonated.

Despite the lack of certainty, the IDF’s preliminary assessment leaned towards the soldiers’ injuries being a result of the grenade rebounding from the fence.

The injured soldiers were promptly evacuated to a medical facility, and their families have been informed of the situation. Border Guard Chief Brik Yitzchak commended the soldiers for their courageous and determined actions against terrorism in Judea and Samaria. He expressed his wishes for the full and speedy recovery of the injured Border Police officers.

Yitzchak emphasized the commitment to work jointly with security agencies to combat terrorism and protect Israeli citizens. He issued a warning to terrorists, stating that any who attempt to harm their forces will be pursued and held accountable.

The operation in Tulkarm comes amid ongoing efforts to maintain security in the region, with Israeli security forces actively conducting operations against terrorist suspects.

Tulkarm has been a recent focal point of Israeli security activities, with operations aimed at countering threats and ensuring the safety of the population.