Israeli officers faced lethal Islamic Jihad militants in Jenin, acting bravely under extreme threat and chaos.
Newly revealed testimonies from Israel’s Border Police paint a stark, harrowing picture of the most recent armed confrontation in Jenin — a city long dominated by Islamic Jihad terror cells operating under the shield of Palestinian Authority chaos.
Channel 13 aired the officers’ accounts Saturday night, exposing the deadly danger they faced when confronting two Islamic Jihad operatives suspected of carrying explosives and firearms. The terrorists repeatedly made suspicious movements, lowering their hands and digging toward their pockets — a classic pre-attack posture known to Israeli forces.
The officers described the operation as taking place under intense operational pressure, backed by intelligence indicating the pair posed an imminent threat. One testified that the kick seen in circulating footage occurred after the terrorist refused clear commands to show his upper body. Initial shots, they stressed, were deliberately aimed at the lower body only after repeated warnings were ignored — reflecting Israel’s strict engagement protocols even in hostile environments.
During questioning by the Police Internal Investigations Department, it was clarified that the officers were never arrested, only temporarily distanced from duty as procedure. While manslaughter remains the theoretical offense under review, internal assessments say any serious indictment is highly unlikely, acknowledging the extreme complexity and the officers’ good-faith actions under immediate threat.
The chaos peaked when an excavator operator suddenly yelled that one of the terrorists was fleeing. Convinced a live terror attack was unfolding, the officers unleashed heavy gunfire in accordance with threat-neutralization guidelines.
Their testimonies underscore what Israel faces daily: armed Palestinian terrorists exploiting civilian zones, forcing Israeli forces into split-second life-or-death decisions to protect Israeli lives.
