Five terrorists, wanted by the Israeli security forces, were killed on Wednesday during operation in Tulkarm. The terrorists were associated with the Islamic Jihad infrastructure in Tulkarm, who were responsible for many attacks, including those at the Stage Club in Tel Aviv and the attack in Netanya, in which tens of Israeli civilians were killed.

Background information
(Communicated by Israeli security sources)

During an IDF and ISA arrest activity in the refugee camp of Tulkarm on August 24, 2005, the forces confronted a number of armed wanted terrorists, who belong to the Islamic Jihad terror infrastructure in Tulkarm, responsible for the suicide bombing at the Stage Club in Tel Aviv on February 25, 2005, and for the bombing in Netanya on July 12, 2005.

During the arrest activity, the terrorists opened fire at the force from two directions, in addition to throwing an explosive charge at them from one of the houses.

The IDF and ISA activity during the night aimed to arrest wanted Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah armed terrorists, hiding and operating from the refugee camp of Tulkarm, and were planning on committing future terror attacks inside Israel.

Three terrorists have been identified so far:

Adel Mohammed Kassem El Jawi, 28, resident of the village of Atil, north east of Tulkarm, a senior wanted Islamic Jihad terrorist, a member of the Islamic Jihad terror infrastructure in Tulkarm, responsible for the suicide bombing at the Stage Club in Tel Aviv, for the terror attack in Netanya on July 12, 2005, for a shooting attack in Bakah El-Sharkiyah and a car bomb in the community of Shavei Shomron. Adel was directly involved in committing the terror attack at the Stage Club in Tel Aviv. Recently, Adel had been planning, along with other wanted terrorists, to commit further terror attacks.

Majdi Mohammed Ae- Karim Hassin, 18, resident of the refugee camp of Tulkarm, a wanted Tanzim operative, member of a military cell responsible for operating and creating explosive devices, and participating in committing attacks against IDF soldiers.

Anes Ma'arof Assef Abu Zina, 17, resident of the refugee camp of Tulkarm, worked as an assistant to wanted terrorists, operated and sponsored by the Hezbollah terror organization. Recently, the wanted terrorists have been involved in drafting new military cells as well as preparing terror attacks with the direct sponsorship of the Hezbollah terror organization.

It should be noted that the city of Tulkarm, and the refugee camp in its range, have become a stronghold for many wanted operatives, assimilated within the civilian population and operating freely from within it, while the Palestinian Authority turns a blind eye to their activities

In the past few months Tulkarm has become the center of the Islamic Jihad terror organization in Samaria, where the headquarters of the senior Islamic Jihad terrorists in Samaria. These senior terrorists manage the Islamic jihad activities from the city and from the refugee camp. They have managed to recruit additional cells inside the West Bank, especially in Jenin and Ramallah. 

Among their activity, the terrorists had established explosive laboratories for making car bombs, explosives, explosive belts, and explosive devices for the propose of terror.

The easing of restrictions on the local population in the area, as a part of IDF efforts to preserve the population's daily routine, is being exploited by the terrorists for freer movement in the area. The operatives use local residents as assistants in their operations.

It should be emphasized that in the past few months, the terror organizations refusing to adhere to the period of calm, especially the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization, have increased their military activity against Israeli targets in the area of Tulkarm and inside Israel.

The Islamic Jihad terror organization is responsible for the following terror attacks during the recent period of calm:

• The terror attacks in the Stage Club, in Tel Aviv, which was carried out on February 25, 2005, in which 5 Israeli civilians were killed, and 55 were wounded.
• A shooting attack carried out at an Israeli vehicle near the village of Bakah El Sharkiyah, on June 20th, 2005 in which an Israeli civilian was killed and another was wounded.
• The terror attack near the city mall of Netanya on July 12, 2005, in which 5 Israeli civilians were killed and 88 were wounded.
• A car bomb exploded inside the Israeli community of Shavei Shomron on July 12, 2005 which caused no Israeli injuries.
• A terror attack carried out in Jerusalem during May 2005, which was aimed at an assembly of people praying in the city. The terror attack was carried out in cooperation with operatives from Ramallah, and with assistance from the Tulkarm infrastructure.

The operatives benefit from the support and the generous funding of the headquarters of the Islamic Jihad in Syria, and the headquarters of the Hizbullah in Lebanon. Both of these terror organizations are not committed to this situation of calm and are continuously planning terror attacks inside Israel, and keep on trying to commit attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF forces, in the order to disrupt the current situation of calm.