Israeli Forces Kill Father of 2022 Tel Aviv Dizengoff Terrorist in West Bank Operation

Israeli paratroopers killed Fathi Hazem, the father of Raad Hazem who carried out the deadly shooting attack on Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv in April 2022. The incident occurred during an Israeli military operation targeting terror suspects in the Jenin area within the Menashe Brigade's jurisdiction. During the raid, soldiers from the 890th Paratroopers Battalion entered a building when Fathi Hazem, armed with a knife, attempted to stab them. The troops responded swiftly with gunfire, killing him. No soldiers were injured in the encounter.

Fathi Hazem was a wanted Palestinian officer known for inciting violence and encouraging attacks against Israeli forces, particularly during arrests in the Jenin refugee camp, using mosque loudspeakers to call for resistance. His son Raad Hazem was responsible for the April 2022 shooting attack on Dizengoff Street, which killed three Israelis: Barak Lufan, 35, Tomer Mord, and Itamar Megini, both 27. Notably, Megini had become engaged just three weeks before his death. Fathi Hazem was killed following a brief police chase in Jaffa prior to the operation.

This targeted killing reflects ongoing Israeli efforts to dismantle terror networks linked to attacks inside Israel and to prevent further violence amid heightened tensions in the West Bank.