Israeli Air Force strikes terrorist cells in Samaria planning 'imminent' attacks

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) carried out three airstrikes on Saturday against terrorist cells in Jenin, a city located in northern Samaria, internationally known as the West Bank. The Israeli military revealed that one of the terror cells in Kabatiya outside of Jenin was planning “imminent” attacks against Israeli targets.

The airstrikes were part of an ongoing IDF counter-terrorism operation conducted in cooperation with the Israeli domestic intelligence agency, Shin Bet. One of the eliminated operatives was Abd al-Hadi Kamil, a convicted terrorist who was released during the Hamas-Israel hostage deal agreement in November 2023.

The IAF also eliminated the terrorists and local Kabatiya residents, Salah Zakarneh and Abd al-Hadi Kamil. 

Jenin has been a hub for Islamist radicalism and terrorism against Israel for years. While formally under the control of the local Palestinian Authority (PA), local cells belonging to the terrorist organizations Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) have actively challenged PA President Mahmoud Abbas and his administration's limited control over the restive area. 

With the backing of the Iranian regime, Hamas has attempted to undermine the PA's power by planning and carrying out terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria. 

Following the Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the southern Israel-Gaza border communities, the Jewish state has been concerned about the possibility of a similar scenario occurring in Judea and Samaria. 

Last September, the Israeli military expanded its counter-terrorism operations in Jenin and Tulkarem, another terrorist hub located close to the Green Line and the large Israeli coastal city of Netanya. 

At the time, Border Police Chief Superintendent Yair Rozilio assessed that Israel’s proactive military operations had made it "very difficult for terrorists to carry out attacks in central Israel."

“Most terrorists are intercepted and neutralized by security forces. In tragic cases, they manage to kill civilians and soldiers as we saw in the murder of the three police officers,” Rozilio told the Ynet news outlet.

While Hamas and other terrorist groups have long operated in Judea and Samaria, Iranian involvement in efforts to carry out attacks against Israelis is increasing.

In late November, the Israeli military discovered an Iranian-led weapons smuggling operation in Judea and Samaria. The weapons were reportedly earmarked for terrorists in the Jenin area, which is located close to Israel's Galilee region. 

“This is part of an ongoing Iranian campaign to destabilize the region's security by arming terrorist cells in Judea and Samaria, to carry out attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops,” the IDF Spokesman’s Office stated. 

Hamas, which has been severely weakened in Gaza after 16 months of war, has increasingly urged local terror cells to carry out attacks against Israelis in the West Bank. 

However, despite efforts by Iran and Hamas to escalate violence, there was a dramatic decrease in the number of terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria in 2024. Some 1,188 terrorist incidents took place in 2024, compared to 3,256 in 2023 and 3,779 in 2022, according to Israeli security system statistics that were published in December 2024.

Last year, Israeli security forces registered 254 terror attacks in the area compared to 847 in 2023. The significant decline in the number of terrorist attacks may be linked to the Israeli security forces’ growing proactive counter-terrorism measures in Judea and Samaria.