Off-duty IDF soldier fires at Palestinians suspected illegally entering Jerusalem area
Border police said the shooting occurred during an arrest operation on Route 60, south of Jerusalem.
An off-duty IDF soldier opened fire Thursday on a Palestinian suspected of illegally entering Israel near a tunnel opening on Route 60 south of Jerusalem, wounding one person, Border Police said.
The shooting occurred as border police in the Jerusalem area worked to arrest several individuals who entered Israel illegally during an operation in the area.
The soldier saw the arrests in progress while traveling on a public bus, believed it to be a security incident, and got off the bus to shoot the suspects.
Israeli Border Police officers seen during an operation in the West Bank city of Jenin on February 23, 2025. (credit: CHAIM GOLDBERG/FLASH90)
Border Police Kill Wanted Suspects After Apparent Surrender
Earlier Thursday, the IDF and Israeli police said they would investigate an incident in which border police shot two wanted Palestinian terrorists after they appeared to surrender during operations in Jenin.
Border Police said they identified the building where the terrorists were hiding and tried for hours to convince the two men to come out of the building. When the terrorists refused to exit, Israeli forces used a backhoe to partially open the building’s garage door.
The incident occurred as Border Police personnel were operating in the Jenin area of the northern West Bank with Israeli Air Force helicopter gunships providing support to commando brigade forces on the ground on Thursday afternoon.
Goldie Katz contributed to this report.
