Hamas takes responsibility, praises reported shooting of IDF officer during West Bank op.

Hamas on Sunday praised the reported shooting of an Israeli military officer during an operation to arrest a suspect in Dhahiriya, near Hebron, over the weekend. The incident, reported by Israeli public broadcaster KAN News, stated the non-commissioned officer (NCO) was lightly wounded.

The terror organization claimed responsibility for the alleged shooting, asserting that one of its operatives wounded the NCO. Hamas declared it "salutes the pure hands that confront the occupier and resist." The group framed the incident as a response to Israel's "crimes" against Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem, and its alleged plans to "seize West Bank lands and displace" Palestinians.

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salute[s] the pure hands that confront the occupier and resist.

Hamas issued a general call to Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem to "escalate resistance in all its forms." The group urged them to respond to the "occupation's crimes with painful operations that will disrupt its calculations and thwart its plans."

This incident follows recent counterterrorism operations by the IDF across the West Bank, during which over 50 suspects were arrested. The IDF also confiscated approximately 250,000 NIS intended for terrorism, along with a weapons manufacturing lathe, a drone, military equipment, ammunition, and more than 10 weapons. The IDF has been contacted for comment on the reported shooting.

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escalate resistance in all its forms to respond to the occupation's crimes with painful operations that will disrupt its calculations and thwart its plans.