Israeli undercover forces opened fire on a vehicle in Shechem, in the West Bank, resulting in the deaths of five suspected terrorists, authorities reported on Wednesday.
Among those killed during the daytime incident in central Nablus was Issam al-Salaj, the long-wanted leader of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade from the nearby Balata refugee camp, according to police sources.
The Israel Police stated that commandos from the Yamam counter-terror unit were active in Shechem at the time they opened fire on the suspects.

“The Yamam forces eliminated five armed terrorists who posed a threat to their lives,” police confirmed.
As reported by the police, the unit was in Nablus as part of a broader arrest operation targeting terrorist suspects, supported by the Israel Defense Forces, Shin Bet security service, and the Border Police.
Authorities reported no injuries among Israeli forces during the incident, boruch Hashem.
The Palestinian health ministry indicated that four people died during the operation, while a fifth was hospitalized due to bullet shrapnel injuries, though their condition was not specified.
Videos circulated on social media appeared to capture a small group of undercover officers with automatic weapons firing at close range into a vehicle while standing on a busy street, after allegedly exiting another car bearing Palestinian license plates. Bystanders could be seen observing the event unfold.
A security source, speaking anonymously to the Kan public broadcaster, mentioned that the individuals in the vehicle were senior terror operatives planning an attack.
The police did not disclose the identities of the other wanted Palestinians, but stated they were “involved in carrying out and planning terror operations against civilians and the IDF.”
Salaj was reportedly the target of a failed operation in June 2023 in Nablus, where he managed to escape with injuries during a confrontation with Israeli forces surrounding his residence. A Palestinian teenager with mental disabilities was killed during that encounter.
Nablus and the neighboring Balata camp have become focal points in the northern West Bank for Israel’s intensified campaign against Palestinian terror organizations.
These operations have primarily focused on Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and allied groups, while also aiming to counter the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, which is associated with the Fatah party led by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
{Matzav.com Israel}