Israeli security forces during counter-terrorism operations in Samaria, Jan. 5, 2024. Photo: Israel Defense Forces.

JNS.org – Israeli security forces eliminated a wanted terrorist during an overnight operation in northern Samaria on Saturday. He had served in the Palestinian Authority’s Preventive Security Service, according to reports.

The Israel Defense Forces, Israel Police and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) confirmed in a joint statement on Sunday that as part of counter-terror raids throughout Judea and Samaria, forces killed an armed terrorist during a shootout in the village of Meithalun, near Jenin.

Ramallah’s official Wafa news agency mourned the slain terrorist on Sunday morning as the “martyr hero” Hassan Ali Hassan Raba’iya, saying he held a rank in the P.A.’s police forces equivalent to that of lieutenant.

Anwar Rajab, a spokesman for the Palestinian Authority Security Forces (PASF), “expressed his condolences to the family of the martyr, the entire Raba’iya family and the people of the village of Meithalun, asking Allah to bestow upon him His vast mercy and peace,” according to the official Wafa report.

The Israel Police’s Spokesperson’s Unit published video footage of the operation in which Raba’iya was killed on Sunday afternoon. The statement noted that forces, during searches of his home, found a shotgun, explosives, weapon parts and 96,000 shekels ($26,000) in cash.

Members of the PASF have a long history of carrying out attacks against Israelis. Last year, the P.A.’s ruling Fatah party boasted that most of its “martyrs” had served in the PASF.

In addition, the Hamas terrorist organization has recruited dozens of PASF operatives, using them as terrorist combatants and for intelligence gathering, Israel’s Kan News public broadcaster reported in mid-2023.

Last month, Axios reported that the Biden administration privately asked Israel to green-light an “urgent” request for US military aid to Ramallah.

The move came after the P.A. launched a rare counter-terror raid in Jenin, where Ramallah for years refused to act against Iranian-backed terrorist organizations, in violation of its commitments under the Oslo Accords.

Ramallah launched its operation, dubbed “Defense of the Homeland,” after the Dec. 5 seizure by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad of a P.A. vehicle and amid fears that terrorists in the Samaria city could attempt a coup inspired by the swift takedown of Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria.