The IDF announced on Sunday that a tank platoon will be deployed in Jenin as part of the expanded operation to eradicate terrorism in Judea and Samaria. According to the military, forces from the Nahal Brigade, the Duvdevan Unit, and a tank platoon will conduct operations in additional villages within the Menashe Brigade area, while continuing operations in Jenin and Tulkarm.
Earlier, PA Arab reports indicated that Israeli tanks were spotted in the Jenin area. The tanks, from the 188th Armored Brigade, are joining another defensive line, with a battalion already positioned inside. Two additional battalions have also entered the offensive and are operating in villages within the sector. The forces continue their operations in both the Jenin and Tulkarm areas.
PA Arab sources told Al Jazeera that IDF forces declared a 48-hour curfew in the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin. According to WAFA, the IDF destroyed some electricity and water lines in Qabatiya on Sunday morning. Israeli bulldozers destroyed electricity lines and also uprooted water lines in several neighborhoods of the town. Additionally, the Israeli military bulldozers destroyed vehicles and other property in various areas of the town.
الضفة الغربية تُستباح بصمت !
دبابات الاسرائيلية باتجاه جنين لتشارك لأول مرة منذ عام 2002 في العدوان على المدينة.
قوات الاحتلال أعلنت حظر التجوال في بلدة قباطية جنوب جنين لمدة 48 ساعة#جنين_تقاوم pic.twitter.com/xWdHklFzip
— Dima Halwani (@DimaHalwani) February 23, 2025
The escalation in operational activity follows an attempted bomb attack on buses in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area last Thursday, which fortunately ended without casualties. Forces continue operations in the Jenin and Tulkarm areas.
On Friday, the Shin Bet arrested two Jewish-Israeli suspects from Holon and Bat Yam for questioning. They are suspected of being involved in transporting the terrorists who planted bombs on buses in Bat Yam. The two are also facing charges of attempted murder.
Meanwhile, the search continues for the suspects responsible for planting explosive devices last Thursday night on three buses parked in different locations in Bat Yam and another bus in Holon. The first two devices exploded within minutes of each other, while a third went off about fifteen minutes later. Two additional devices that were meant to detonate were discovered and neutralized. Fortunately, there were no casualties from the explosions.
According to the police, the devices were intended to explode during the morning hours. Each device weighed around five kilograms and was locally manufactured. The devices contained a clock mechanism from Judea and Samaria. The security establishment believes the devices were planted by terrorists from that region. In response, three IDF battalions were deployed to the area on Friday.
الاحتلال الإسرائيلي يدفع تعزيزات عسكرية باتجاه مدينة جنين بالضفة الغربية، في ظل عدوانه المستمر على المدينة ومخيمها لليوم الـ34 ويعتزم دفع دبابات في معارك شمال الضفة الغربية المحتلة للمرة الأولى منذ عملية “السور الواقي” عام 2002 pic.twitter.com/NwCrxPX8pJ
— عاجل | TRT عربي (@TRTArabiNow) February 23, 2025
PREVENTING A PA VERSION OF OCTOBER 7
Israel Hayom reported in early February that significant steps were being taken in intelligence and information operations related to targets in Judea and Samaria. The IDF is essentially reworking its combat doctrine for the region, focusing on defense against scenarios similar to the October 7 attacks, alongside offensive operations by regional and maneuvering brigades. The IDF aims to adapt to Judea and Samaria the combat model used in Gaza and south Lebanon.
Among other strategies, IDF commanders recognize the need to keep forces in the field and operate directly from within the cities or villages, rather than relying on the raid tactics that have been used so far across large areas of the region. Additionally, the IDF is preparing for more extensive maneuvers, with intelligence efforts aimed at enabling larger-scale operations than in the past. This includes the integration of additional regular forces beyond the regional brigades, a tactic recently employed and expected to continue for the remainder of the campaign, according to commanders’ statements.
In March 2002, Israel experienced the deadliest month of the Second Intifada, with over 30 Israeli soldiers and civilians killed in Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip. In addition, 11 suicide bombings took place within the Green Line, resulting in the deaths of 81 more Israelis. The deadliest attack during this period was the Park Hotel bombing during the Seder night, on March 27, 2002, where a suicide bomber targeted the hotel in Netanya, killing 30 people.
In response to the escalating violence, Israel launched an unprecedented attack on Arab terrorist organizations. On March 10, Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz announced that approximately 200 PA Arabs had been killed in Israeli operations.
Operation Defensive Shield began on the morning of March 29, 2002, with the primary objective of suppressing terrorism in Ramallah, the administrative capital and economic center of the Palestinian Authority, where Yasser Arafat, the chairman of the Authority, was residing. IDF infantry and armored forces captured key areas in the city while engaging in combat with Arafat’s security forces.
IDF forces, including the Jerusalem Reserve Infantry Brigade, entered Jerusalem with infantry, warplanes, and tanks. On April 2, Israeli tanks and APCs surrounded the headquarters of the Preventive Security Force in Beitunia, with Israeli helicopter gunships flying overhead. Inside the compound were hundreds of heavily armed police officers and fugitives wanted by Israel. The facility was subsequently damaged by rocket fire. Israeli forces conducted an extensive search of the compound, uncovering numerous incriminating documents, including a plan to recruit female Israeli soldiers as spies, as well as weapons stolen from the IDF.
