The IDF is planning an engineering operation to construct access roads for military vehicles within terror strongholds in northern Samaria, News14 reported Monday. This initiative aims to enable swift movement across these areas, mirroring the infrastructure work carried out along the Netzarim corridor in the Gaza Strip. The decision follows the defense establishment’s preparations to maintain a presence in the camps through the end of 2025.
The IDF prevents residents of Jenin camp from returning to their homes after starting to implement a major operation in Jenin, Tubas, and Tulkarm, where half a million PA Arabs live:
الجيش الإسرائيلي يمنع سكان مخيم #جنين في الضفة الغربية من العودة لمنازلهم بعد أن بدأ تنفيذ عملية كبرى في “المثلث” الذي يضم جنين وطوباس وطولكرم، حيث يعيش نصف مليون فلسطيني#نكمن_في_التفاصيل pic.twitter.com/leObspZAz2
— Independent عربية (@IndyArabia) February 19, 2025
Defense Minister Israel Katz noted that “Forty thousand Palestinians have so far been evacuated from the Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur a-Shams refugee camps, which are now empty of residents. UNRWA activities in these camps have also been suspended. The IDF is carrying out extensive offensive operations to clear terrorist strongholds and systematically dismantle terror infrastructure, facilities, and weapon stockpiles on a large scale.”
The project is designed to enhance the operational effectiveness of forces on the ground, drawing from past experience. In Gaza, the development of roads and infrastructure along the Netzarim corridor facilitated efficient military mobility and improved control over the region. Now, the IDF intends to apply similar strategies in northern Samaria, where terror camps continue to pose a significant security threat.
Over the weekend, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz visited the Tulkarm terrorist camp, where they met with senior commanders and soldiers engaged in Operation Iron Wall for the past month. Their visit followed a series of bus bombing attacks in central Israel the previous evening, which ended without casualties, thank God.
During the visit, Netanyahu and Katz stated that the operation would expand both in scope and intensity, with the IDF increasing its operational area, force deployment, and firepower. On Sunday, the IDF announced that a battalion from the Nahal Brigade, the mista‘arvim Duvdevan unit, and a tank division from the 188th Brigade would be deployed in the sector.
“We are at war against Islamic terrorism. I have instructed the IDF to prepare for an extended presence in the cleared camps for the coming year, preventing the return of residents and the resurgence of terrorism,” said Defense Minister Katz.
He stressed, “We will not revert to the previous reality. We will continue to clear refugee camps and other terrorist hubs to dismantle the battalions and infrastructure of extremist Islam—forces that were built, armed, funded, and trained by the Iranian axis of evil to establish an eastern terrorist front against Samaria, the seam line, and Israel’s major population centers. The operation will continue until terrorism is eradicated.”
A security source told News14, “The space is being redesigned. Roads are being widened. The goal is to deny them access while ensuring faster movement for our forces.”
The operation will utilize heavy engineering equipment to pave roads, enabling troops to navigate the complex terrain of the camps quickly and safely. This initiative aims to reinforce the military presence and enhance the IDF’s ability to respond effectively to threats in the area.
The PA The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates warned on Sunday against the IDF’s deployment of heavy tanks to the vicinity of Jenin, considering it “a step toward escalating its aggression and expanding its crimes against the Palestinian people, especially in the northern West Bank and its refugee camps.”
Good to know.
