SEVEN WANTED PALESTINIAN TERRORISTS ARRESTED, AND ONE KILLED, IN IDF NABLUS
AREA OPERATION

(Communicated by the IDF Spokesperson)
Monday, 20 February, 2006

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Attributed to "security sources"

Following an increase in security alerts regarding the intention of Tanzim
and Islamic Jihad terrorist infrastructures in Nablus to launch terrorist
attacks into Israel, IDF forces have - in recent days - been conducting a
wide-scale arrest operation in the Balata refugee camp and in the Old City
of Nablus.

Due to the increased terrorist activity in the city, Nablus has become one
of the primary producers of explosive belts and bombs, which are
systematically manufactured and transferred to different terrorist
infrastructures in Judea and Samaria, to be used against Israel.

During the night, IDF forces arrested seven wanted terrorists:

1. Ahmed Muhammad Zuhadi Araisha Marshoud, 22, a resident of the Balata
refugee camp. Araisha is the head of the Islamic Jihad terrorist
infrastructure in Nablus. He was directed by Islamic Jihad leaders in the
Gaza Strip and was involved in many attacks, including the 19.1.06 suicide
bombing at the old Tel Aviv Central Bus Station in which 30 Israeli
civilians were wounded, and the attempted 8.1.06 infiltration into the
Jewish community of Bracha in order to perpetrate a terrorist attack, which
was thwarted by IDF forces. Araisha was recently involved in additional
attempts to perpetrate terrorist attacks against Israel. Many of these
attacks were prevented due to the arrest of potential suicide bombers
recruited by him, who had intended to perpetrate attacks in the coming days.

2. Iyad Mahmad Mahmoud Massimi, 28, a resident of the Balata refugee camp
and a senior Tanzim terrorist. Massimi is one of the top experts on
explosives and bomb construction in Nablus, and was involved in preparing
the explosive belts used in several attacks against IDF forces and in
suicide bombings, including the 19.1.06 suicide bombing at the old Tel Aviv
Central Bus Station.

3. Wa'al Shakhr Mahmoud Massah, 38, a resident of the Balata refugee camp.
A senior Tanzim operative, Massah is also considered to be an explosives
expert and one of the senior bomb makers in Nablus. As part of his activity
in the organization, Massah was in regular contact with Hezbollah terrorists
in Lebanon.

4. Ahmed Husseini Ali Khalil, 20, a resident of the Balata refugee camp, a
member of the Tanzim terrorist organization. Over the past two years,
Khalil has been involved in numerous terrorist attacks in which explosive
devices were detonated against IDF forces in the Nablus area. He was
currently involved in an attempt to perpetrate a suicide bombing.

5. Ibrahim Husseini Darwish Abu Dra'a, 19, a resident of the Balata refugee
camp, a member of the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization. On 8.1.06, he
was dispatched by Araisha to infiltrate the Jewish community of Bracha in
order to perpetrate a terrorist attack; the attack was thwarted when IDF
forces prevented him from infiltrating into Bracha.

6-7. Qasem Awad Qasem Zaben, 20, and Mahmud Ali Mahed Mahamda, 30, residents
of the Old City of Nablus, members of the Tanzim terrorist organization.
The two are part of a Tanzim cell in the Old City involved in manufacturing
and using explosive devices against IDF forces in Nablus. The cell was
headed by wanted Tanzim terrorist Ahmed Mahmed Naif Abu Srah.

IDF forces operating in Nablus identified several armed terrorists and
opened fire at them, killing Ahmed Mahmed Naif Abu Srah, 30, a resident of
the Old City of Nablus, and a senior member of the Tanzim terrorist
organization. Abu Srah was involved in the 19.1.06 suicide bombing at the
old Tel Aviv Central Bus Station as well as dozens of additional attacks in
the Nablus area. Recently, he had been operating under the direction of the
Islamic Jihad terrorist organization HQ in Syria. Abu Srah was considered
an expert in complex explosive devices, of the kind that were used
frequently against IDF forces in the past year. He was also involved in
manufacturing explosive belts for the Tanzim and Islamic Jihad in Nablus.