The perpetrator of the Jordan Valley operation, Muhammad al-Saadi, after his arrest in Al-Auja, near Jericho (Israeli press)

Nablus -

In the early hours of Sunday morning, after 72 hours of intense pursuit, the occupation army announced the arrest of the perpetrator of the “Al-Auja” commando operation near the city of Jericho in the West Bank. Israeli media reported that the perpetrator comes from the city of Jenin and is called Muhammad Mahmoud Al-Saadi, an officer in the ranks of the Palestinian National Security Service with the rank of sergeant.

At approximately 7:30 a.m. last Thursday, Al-Saadi (27 years old) carried out his commando operation, and the occupation army stated at the time that the operation was carried out in two close locations and that it targeted a settler bus and Israeli cars as well, and resulted in the wounding of 3 settlers with serious, moderate and minor injuries.

Al-Saadi comes from the eastern neighborhood of the city of Jenin, and his nickname is “Abu Rida.” He is not married, and he received his education in the schools of the city of Jenin, where he completed high school and joined the College of Sports at the Palestine Technical University in the city of Tulkarm, after which he joined the Palestinian security services.

The occupation deploys extensive surveillance cameras in areas of the West Bank, especially Jericho and the Jordan Valley (Al Jazeera)

Closed military barracks

As soon as he was arrested this morning, the occupation army lifted its strict military measures imposed by many fixed and mobile checkpoints on the city of Jericho and the Palestinian Jordan Valley in general, and on the town of Al-Auja in particular.

From the first day of the operation, the occupation completely closed the area, especially the Karama Bridge (Allenby Crossing), the only outlet for the people of the West Bank to travel abroad via Jordan, which it reopened several hours later and kept the rest of Jericho and the surrounding areas closed.

The siege surrounded Jericho, which has the security weight of the National Authority (40% of its security force), as well as the town of Al-Auja, which is divided into Areas "C", which is security and administratively affiliated with the occupation, and "B", which is affiliated with the Authority, according to Al-Jazeera Net, journalist Adel Abu Nimah, who is from this city.

The journalist adds that the occupation army turned the Al-Auja area, where the operation took place, into a “closed military barracks,” where many military checkpoints were erected inside it.

At the moment of reaching him and besieging him in the Abu Jarhoud neighborhood in the center of Al-Auja, the Palestinian resistance surrendered himself to the occupation army, without any clash occurring, according to what was reported by the Israeli media. The journalist quoted eyewitnesses that his arrest took place “from the street and not from any house.”

Strict measures

The occupation authorities followed several measures during the pursuit of Al-Saadi leading to his arrest, according to what Muhammad Abu Alan, an Israeli affairs specialist, told Al Jazeera Net, who stated that the occupation deliberately imposed a strict siege on the Jericho area and the entire Palestinian Jordan Valley, and did not allow anyone to enter or leave, even residents. Region.

Israel launched extensive raids and searches of citizens' homes and neighborhoods, and used the drone unit known as "636". Several units and battalions from the occupation army, the police, the General Security Service (Shin Bet), the Qassi al-Athar “Maraul” unit, in addition to the al-Yamam unit specialized in combating “terrorism” also participated in the research.

Abu Allan says that the occupation army, in its pursuit of the perpetrator of the guerrilla operation, relied mainly on its besiegement of the Al-Auja area, a method that it has been using in light of the escalating wave of guerrilla operations, as it besieges the site of the operation and its surroundings to prevent the resistance fighter from escaping and carrying out other strikes, especially since it is “an area full of settlements.” It witnesses the passage of thousands of Israeli vehicles and settlers daily through Route 90, which passes through it.

Despite the occupation’s arrival at Al-Saadi, its ability to carry out the operation, withdraw from the place, and hide for 3 days in an area under Israeli control and its modern, advanced, and widespread surveillance cameras is considered an “immediate operational failure for the occupation army,” according to Abu Allan, who confirms that the area is one of the army’s most alert locations. Therefore, accessing the port is not difficult in light of these military and technical measures, especially since the identity of the port is known to the occupation from the first hours of the operation.

Road 90, which passes through Jericho and is used by thousands of Israelis daily, witnessed several commando operations (Al Jazeera)

An open arena for operations

More than two years ago, after resistance fighters opened fire on the Israeli “Elmog” restaurant near the southern entrance to Jericho, the city and the Palestinian Jordan Valley turned into an open arena for resistance operations that witnessed the killing of a number of Israelis, according to Abu Allan, just like other areas of the West Bank, and Jericho was no longer “the city.” “Quiet” as the occupation army classified it.

The most prominent of these guerrilla operations was the “Hamra Operation” near the village of Farush Beit Dajan last April, which was carried out by two resistance fighters from the city of Nablus and led to the killing of 3 Israeli women, in addition to several operations carried out by resistance fighters from Jericho, especially the Aqabat Jabr Camp Brigade.

Al-Saadi is the third soldier who carried out a commando operation within a month from now. Palestinian police officer Muhammad Manasra, who is from the Qalandia camp, carried out the Eli settlement operation south of Nablus and killed two settlers before being martyred. Then Mujahid Barakat targeted Karajah in the “Deir Ibzig Operation” west of Ramallah. 7 Israelis were shot, and one of them was later killed.

Palestinian security experts - who spoke to Al Jazeera Net - pointed out that the West Bank will witness more guerrilla operations of different form, location and method, and that the operations carried out so far are described as “specific”, whether individual or adopted by the resistance brigades, in response to the war of extermination that the Palestinians are experiencing. On Gaza and the violent Israeli and settlement violations and attacks witnessed by the cities of the West Bank and Jerusalem.

The latest statistics from the Palestine Information Center (given) indicate that since the war on Gaza, 29 specific operations have been carried out in the West Bank, resulting in the killing of 18 soldiers and settlers, and the injury of 111 others, and the recent Al-Auja operation is added to it, bringing it to 30 operations.

Source: Al Jazeera