Israeli forces overnight Wednesday carried out a sweeping counterterrorism operation across the West Bank (Judea and Samaria), seizing weapons and arresting suspected terrorists linked to recent attacks, the IDF and Shin Bet said in a joint statement.
Guided by Shin Bet intelligence, IDF troops searched more than 70 locations, finding weapons concealed inside residences, including a “Carlo” submachine gun hidden in a microwave and a hunting rifle stashed behind a curtain, according to the military.
At the same time, soldiers launched a major operation in the Beit Ummar area, the hometown of one of the terrorists behind this week’s attack at the Gush Etzion Junction.
Troops operated in more than 300 sites, arresting three terrorists involved in plotting future attacks, including one who had hurled Molotov cocktails at Israeli civilians. More than 200 suspects were questioned and dozens of vehicles allegedly purchased with terror funds were confiscated.
In Hebron, forces arrested a man who praised the Gush Etzion attack and urged further violence. His father, also an alleged inciter, was detained earlier in the week. Additional raids uncovered explosives, weapons magazines and other illegal arms. Operations also took place in Tulkarm.
In Qabatiya, undercover Border Police officers arrested three terrorists who had been planning attacks on IDF soldiers in the area. A separate raid in the same town led to the arrest of three more suspects, including one involved in manufacturing explosives. Troops in nearby Barta’a searched for weapons and detained suspects for questioning.
Meanwhile, soldiers from the Binyamin Regional Brigade arrested two wanted individuals and detained two additional suspects while questioning dozens more.
All detainees and confiscated weapons were transferred to the Israel Police and the Shin Bet for further investigation, the IDF and Shin Bet said.
The raids followed a series of recent terror attacks in Judea and Samaria, including a shooting at the Gush Etzion Junction earlier this week that wounded Israelis and heightened security alerts across the region. Israeli officials say Palestinian terrorist networks in Judea and Samaria have been increasingly active, with operatives receiving funding and direction from Hamas-linked elements.
