Security forces arrested more than 70 terror suspects across the West Bank on Saturday following overnight operations, according to an IDF statement. The wide-scale crackdown comes after a terror shooting on Friday near Gilad Farm, a settlement southwest of Nablus, left two Israelis dead and several others wounded.
West Bank Operations Follow Deadly Shooting Near Gilad Farm
The deadly attack occurred Friday when a group of Israeli civilians illegally crossed into Palestinian Authority-controlled territory while hiking, leading to a confrontation with local Palestinians. According to the military, Palestinians began throwing rocks before one of them opened fire. The two Israelis killed were identified as 32-year-old Master-Sergeant (Res.) Benayahu Melet, a member of Gilad Farm’s emergency response squad who rushed to aid the hikers, and 27-year-old IDF Maj. Yuval Ezra, an artillery battery commander.
Following the attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir held a security assessment. Netanyahu stated, “We will act strongly against terrorists and their proxies, and we will not allow terrorism in Judea and Samaria to raise its head.” Netanyahu and Katz announced five immediate measures, including demolishing the home of the suspected attacker, expanding counterterrorism operations in villages described as hotbeds of terror, reinforcing troop deployments, establishing additional checkpoints, and accelerating the authorization of existing and new farms.
Brigade Operations and Suspect Arrests Across the Region
In the subsequent crackdown, the Samaria Brigade, working alongside the IDF, Shin Bet, and Border Police, completed an operation in the village of Tell, where the suspected shooter lived. Units including the Nahal Reconnaissance Unit, Menashe Brigade, Binyamin Brigade, Ephraim Brigade, and Duvdevan conducted arrests and questioning. In the Tulkarm area, Duvdevan troops arrested a wanted Hamas-affiliated suspect and a terrorist intending to carry out an attack. Menashe Brigade forces searched over 300 locations, arresting Hamas-affiliated suspects and individuals pursuing bomb attacks, while Binyamin Brigade forces detained roughly 20 suspects linked to terrorist plots, Molotov cocktails, and weapon trafficking.
Separately on Saturday, a violent clash at the Sussiya Junction near the Hebron Hills left two Israeli men injured, including an active-duty soldier on leave and a local farmer. The IDF clarified that a Palestinian man threw stones at the men and stole a weapon from one of them, prompting shots to be fired into the air. Security forces deployed to the area, conducted searches, and successfully recovered the stolen weapon.
Security Leadership Urges Public Restraint
Shin Bet Director David Zini visited the scene of Friday’s attack to conduct a situational assessment, calling the incident “grave and painful.” Zini stated that security forces are working tirelessly to thwart terrorism in the sector, while urging Israelis not to take the law into their own hands. “I call on the public not to take the law into their own hands and to place their trust in the IDF and the Shin Bet, whose purpose and duty are to protect them,” Zini said.