ISRAEL'S WAR AGAINST TERRORISM IS NEVERENDING

IDF Arrests 1,500 Terror Suspects in 4 Months

Lack of Palestinian governance and control has forced Israel to escalate its war on terror, says IDF chief.

 

By Aryeh Savir 

 

TPS

September 6, 2022

 

Israeli security forces capturing two terrorists who carried out an attack in Elad 

The IDF and Israel’s security forces have arrested about 1,500 terror suspects and have prevented hundreds of terror attacks in the four months since the commencement of Operation Wave Breaker, Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi said.

Operation Wave Breaker, Israel’s counterterrorism operation, was launched in May following several deadly terror attacks that the country experienced in recent months, leaving 19 Israelis dead.

As part of a Joint Chiefs of Staff learning conference for the conclusion of the “Chariots of Fire” exercise held on Monday, Kochavi commented on the current security situation and said that “in view of a serious increase in the scope of attacks in Judea and Samaria, several months ago the IDF embarked on Operation Wave Breaker, and significantly increased its activities to counter-terrorism. As part of the operation so far, about 1,500 wanted persons have been arrested and hundreds of terrorist attacks have been thwarted.”

Estimates indicate that at least 80 terrorists have been killed in clashes with IDF forces since the launch of the operation.

Kochavi noted that part of the reason for the increase in terrorism “stems from the exhaustion of the Palestinian security mechanisms leading to a lack of governance in certain areas of Judea and Samaria, and these are fertile ground for the growth of terrorism.”

Over the past year, the Islamic Jihad terror organization, under Iran’s guidance, has been working to establish an independent territory that is not subject to the Palestinian Authority’s control. 

 

IDF soldiers on the hunt for terrorists in Jenin

In the city of Jenin and in the neighboring villages, there are already several hundred armed terrorists with thousands of weapons. The Islamic Jihad managed to push the PA completely out of the Jenin area and established a new military framework called the “Jenin Battalion” which also includes terrorists from other groups such as Fatah’s “al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades” and Hamas.

This framework began to spread towards the areas of Shechem and Tulkarm and carried out shooting attacks against IDF forces and Israeli civilians.

“As always, even in the face of this development, our test is one – protecting the citizens of the State of Israel, and our mission is to thwart terrorism – we will reach every city, neighborhood, alley, house, or basement for that purpose,” Kochavi declared. “Our activity will continue and we are prepared to increase it according to the need.”

Kan 11 news reported last week an uptick in the number of shooting attacks in Judea and Samaria since the beginning of the year. About 60 such attacks have occurred since the beginning of 2022, compared to about 50 shooting attacks in all of 2021, 48 in 2020, and 61 in 2019.

So far this year, the security forces have succeeded in thwarting about 220 shooting attacks in Judea and Samaria.