Israeli counterterrorism forces operating in Nablus in the early hours of Tuesday morning eliminated Ibrahim Nablusi, head of the Fatah-affiliated al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades.
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Nablusi, who was responsible for dozens of shootings on Israeli troops and Jewish worshippers at Joseph's Tomb, had twice before escaped the IDF.
Counterterrorism forces surrounded his home in the West Bank city in the early morning hours, seeking to arrest him. Nablusi barricaded inside with dozens of other gunmen. The troops called on Nablusi and his men to surrender but they refused, and a clash erupted immediately.
Palestinian media reported that three Palestinians were killed, including Nablusi, and 30 others were injured. No injuries were reported among the Israeli troops. Once the situation was contained, IDF troops entered the house, where they found what was described as a "sizeable cache of weapons and explosives."
Clashes with the Israeli troops also erupted in other parts of Nablus, with rioters hurling rocks and firebombs at the soldiers, who responded with crowd control measures.
Tuesday's raid took place less than 48 hours after Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad reached a ceasefire following three days of fighting, during which the Gaza Strip-based terrorist group fired 1,100 rockets at southern and central Israel, while the IDF eliminated its most high-ranking operatives in the coastal enclave.
Nablusi's prior narrow escapes had made him into a Palestinian social media hero, despite the fact that both times he was not the intended target of those raids.
Shortly before he was eliminated, Nabulsi posted a recording on social media saying, "Pray for me, I'm going to die as a shahid [martyr]. Do not abandon your weapons."
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