Palestinian terror attacks responsible for 35 Israeli deaths in 2023, worst terror wave since Second Intifada

Officials say more attacks will follow

The murder of Batsheva Nigri in front of her 12-year-old daughter on Monday brings the number of Israeli terror victims to 35 since the beginning of 2023.

Following the shooting attack near Hebron, Yehuda Fox, the commander of the IDF Central Command, told the media that Israel is in the midst of “a wave of terror of the kind we haven’t seen in a long time.”

Excluding times of war, 35 is the highest number of Israeli terror victims in one year since the Second Intifada, according to Ynet news.

Some media outlets have reported 34 terror victims but Ynet's list includes Inga Avramyan, who was killed in a rocket attack in May during Operation Shield and Arrow.

With just over half of the year remaining, the body count has already passed the number from last year, when 31 Israelis were murdered.

In addition, some 140 people were wounded during terror attacks in 2023, with some of the more seriously injured still in recovery.

Altogether, the last two years have seen an almost unprecedented, continuing wave of terror attacks against Israeli civilians.

Despite the recently increasing criticism, Israeli security services have caught nearly all of those responsible for attacks this year.

To date, following the capture of the two brothers who killed Batsheva Nigri, only two terrorists are still at large.

This year began with the most brutal attack so far, when a terrorist shot and killed seven Israelis in the Jerusalem suburb of Neve Yaakov on Jan. 27.

There has been at least one deadly terror attack everyone month in 2023 since then.

The latest victim, Batsheva Nigri, 42, was a preschool teacher who was on her way to prepare the classroom for the coming school year when a terrorist opened fire from a moving vehicle, shot her in front of her 12-year-old daughter who was in the car but injured.

Security officials told Army Radio on Tuesday that the peak of the current terror wave may still be ahead. According to estimates, the “success” of the recent attacks and the fact that some of the terrorists could initially escape, may inspire more attacks.

Israeli security forces are especially concerned about attacks happening on the roads of Judea and Samaria, the officials said. About one-third of this year’s attacks were carried out on or in immediate proximity to the West Bank roads, which have enabled many of the terrorists to quickly escape from the scene.

The continued wave of attacks has led many right-wing coalition members to slam top IDF generals for failing to keep Israelis safe.

The year 2014 resulted in even more deaths than what is currently reported in 2023.

During Operation Protective Edge, the IDF's last major operation involving infantry troops in the Gaza Strip, 75 Israelis lost their lives, most of them soldiers.

In 2006, 165 Israelis fell victim to the brutal war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, during the Second Lebanon War.

The Second Intifada was the highest peak of Palestinian terrorism against Israeli civilians. During the six-year-long conflagration, over 1,000 Israelis were murdered by car bombs, suicide bombers and other deadly terror attacks.