Palestinian media outlets identified the young man as 19-year-old Mohammad Murad Souf from the town of Hares, near Nablus. His father is a member of the Fatah resistance movement who was previously imprisoned.
According to Israeli media, four settlers were also wounded in the operations which were carried out in three locations in Ariel Industrial Park and on the nearby highway on Tuesday morning.
Hamas spokesman Abdul-Latif Qanu hailed the Ariel operation, saying that it serves as proof of Palestinians’ determination to continue the revolution and defend al-Aqsa Mosque from daily incursions and desecrations.
The Ariel operation, the Hamas spokesman said, reveals the Israeli regime’s military and security failure “to kill the spirit of resistance and prevent its expansion.”
He warned that daily incursions into al-Aqsa Mosque will be met by increased strikes carried out by the resistance fighters to deter and stop Israeli forces.
Israeli forces have recently been conducting overnight raids and killings in the northern occupied West Bank, mainly in the cities of Jenin and Nablus, where new groups of Palestinian resistance fighters have been formed.
Israel has killed nearly 200 Palestinians since the start of 2022 in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, including 43 children.
According to the United Nations, the number of Palestinians killed by Israel in the occupied West Bank this year is the highest it has been in 16 years.
Local and international rights groups have condemned Israel’s excessive use of force and “shoot-to-kill policy” against Palestinians.
