Israeli security forces have eliminated Muhammad Zakarneh, a senior Islamic Jihad operative and the final member of the terrorist cell responsible for the deadly January 6, 2025 shooting in Funduq that killed three Israeli civilians. The successful operation, orchestrated by elite members of the Israel Police’s National Counter-Terrorism Unit (Yamam), the Shin Bet security agency, and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), concluded a months-long manhunt and reflects the ongoing challenges faced by Israel as it confronts a network of Iranian-backed terror groups seeking to destabilize the region.
According to an official joint statement, Israeli security personnel conducted a targeted raid in the Masiliya area, located in the Jenin sector of the Menashe Brigade’s jurisdiction. Acting on intelligence supplied by the Shin Bet, the forces surrounded a cave used by Zakarneh and two other Islamic Jihad operatives. The terrorists engaged Israeli forces with small arms fire and shoulder-launched missiles, leading to a prolonged exchange. At the end of the encounter, both Zakarneh and Marwah Hazmia—another Islamic Jihad terrorist who had been released as part of a hostage deal in November 2023—were killed. A third suspect was apprehended and is undergoing interrogation.
The joint operation closed a critical chapter following the attack in Funduq, a small village in central Samaria, where a terrorist cell inflicted a tragic loss on January 6. The incident saw terrorists open fire on unarmed Israeli civilians, resulting in three fatalities and widespread condemnation across Israel. It triggered an extensive and methodical security effort, culminating in the neutralization of all three perpetrators; the first two were killed in a previous operation in Qabatiya on January 23, 2025, by IDF Duvdevan and Shin Bet operatives.
The raid near Masiliya underscores ongoing security threats in Judea and Samaria and Israel’s enduring campaign against Iranian influence. Islamic Jihad, along with groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, forms the so-called ‘axis of resistance’—a coalition of Iranian-sponsored militias determined to target Israelis both within Israel’s recognized borders and beyond. The Funduq cell was directly linked to this apparatus, with operational ties to the Islamic Jihad leadership in Qabatiya, an area long identified as a fertile ground for recruitment, indoctrination, and weapon smuggling.
The risk profile further intensified with the participation of Hazmia, whose involvement after his release in November demonstrates the recurring threat posed by terrorist recidivism. Hazmia, released during the 2023 hostage deal after the October 7 massacre led by Hamas—the most lethal antisemitic atrocity since the Holocaust—had subsequently re-engaged in terror activity. Israeli security officials have long warned that individuals freed in hostage or prisoner exchanges often return to operational roles, highlighting the acute moral and tactical dilemma Israel faces as it seeks to recover innocent hostages while minimizing threats to national security.
The broader backdrop to these events is the expanding reach of Iranian-backed terror across Judea and Samaria. As Iranian regimes face constraints elsewhere in the region—particularly in Syria and Lebanon—they have increasingly funneled resources into the West Bank, seeking to destabilize both Israeli security and emerging regional alignments. This growing threat matrix has forced Israel’s security establishment to continually refine its intelligence networks, response capabilities, and operational doctrines. The raid’s success evidences the close coordination among Israel’s top agencies and their ability to act decisively against imminent threats.
Israeli officials have reiterated that acts of self-defense against such terror cells are not only a matter of national survival but serve as a bulwark against a wider region-wide campaign to annihilate the Jewish state. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz both commended the forces involved, affirming the state’s commitment to deliver justice and maintain the safety of all Israeli citizens. Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir noted that Israel remains steadfast in its determination to confront all forms of terror, regardless of shifting tactics or geography.
The successful elimination of the Funduq terror cell provides closure for the victims’ families and a measure of deterrence to prospective attackers. Nevertheless, Israeli officials consistently warn that these threats remain part of an ongoing campaign orchestrated by Iran and its proxies—one that requires sustained vigilance, operational excellence, and moral clarity from the Israeli government and armed forces. The events of October 7 remain a driving force, both for the terrorists seeking to emulate Hamas’s atrocities and for a society resolute in its refusal to be cowed by violence.
While international observers and some governments may periodically issue statements questioning the necessity or proportionality of Israeli counter-terror operations, security leaders emphasize that such actions are grounded in legal and ethical imperatives to protect innocent life. The distinction between indiscriminate terrorist violence and the targeted actions of a sovereign democracy could not be more pronounced. The recent raid in Jenin sector is, according to Israeli authorities, emblematic of the state’s unyielding resolve to stand between its people and those committed to their destruction.
As the war against Iranian-directed terror networks continues across multiple fronts—from Gaza to Lebanon, and increasingly in Judea and Samaria—Israel affirms the right and duty of any democracy to defend itself. The latest operation not only disrupts immediate threats; it signals, once again, to all hostile entities in the region that Israeli resolve will not falter in the face of terror.
