Israeli security forces have successfully foiled a planned attack by a Palestinian terrorist group in Judea and Samaria, the region where the city of Samaria is located
Last month, they found and seized an explosive weighing approximately 100 kilograms (about 220 pounds), which was intended to be used against Israeli soldiers.
It all began on January 11, when two suspects, Ahmed Ali Zakharna and Tariq Abu Zeid, were arrested in the city of Nablus, also known as Shechem, in Samaria.
They were on their way to the village of Huwara to carry out a gun attack.
During interrogation, the two confessed that they were part of a group linked to the Jenin Battalion, an Iranian-backed terrorist coalition, and that they planned to use a 100kg bomb.
Based on the information obtained, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) carried out an operation on Monday night in the town of Qabatiya in northern Samaria.
There, they arrested more members of the group and confiscated weapons, including the aforementioned high-powered explosive.
Bombs of this size are capable of destroying Israeli army Merkava tanks.
In 2002, for example, a tank driver in Gaza was killed and two colleagues were injured by a similar bomb.
On January 21, Israel launched “Operation Iron Wall” to combat terrorist groups in towns such as Jenin and Tulkarem in northern Samaria.
Defense Minister Israel Katz stressed that this is a new security strategy to protect citizens.
He said: “We will not allow the arms of the Iranian octopus and radical Sunni Islam to endanger the lives of residents and create a terrorist front against Israel.
We will strike hard until these arms are cut off.”
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Other recent attacks and operations
Last week, three buses were blown up near Tel Aviv, and bombs were found in two others, in a case that is being investigated as a coordinated terrorist attack.
One of the bombs had a message in Arabic and Hebrew that read: “Revenge for the Tulkarem refugee camp.”
In recent days, soldiers from the IDF’s Nahal Brigade have joined the operations, arresting suspects in Qabatiya and the towns of Silat al-Harithiya and Al-Yamun, based on information from the Shin Bet.
During the raids, they searched dozens of locations used by terrorists, arrested 15 suspects, found weapons and defused explosives, including the 100-kilogram bomb.
A video released by the army showed the controlled explosion to neutralize the device.
“We are acting to combat terrorism in Judea and Samaria and ensure the safety of the citizens of Israel,” security forces said Tuesday night.
Fear of new attacks and worrying numbers
A survey conducted by the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs showed that more than two-thirds of Israeli Jews fear a major attack like the one on October 7, 2023, when Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel.
This fear grows with the figures for 2024: according to the NGO Rescuers Without Borders, there were 6,343 attacks by Palestinian terrorists against Israeli Jews in Judea and Samaria.
Twenty-seven Israelis were killed, and more than 300 were injured.
The data, confirmed by official sources, shows 3,668 cases of stone throwing, 843 attacks with Molotov cocktails, 671 attempts to blind drivers with lasers, 526 explosives, 364 arsons and 179 shootings.
In addition, there were 37 attempted or attempted knife attacks, 36 cases of paint being thrown at cars, and 19 vehicle attacks, including 12 that injured people.
The Israel Security Agency also prevented more than 1,000 potential attacks in 2024 in Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem, showing the ongoing effort to maintain security in the region.
Published in 02/25/2025 23h46
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.
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