Security forces seize terror funds in northern Samaria

Israeli security forces overnight Tuesday confiscated hundreds of thousands of shekels in terrorist funding during a raid in the Palestinian Authority town of Barta’a, which abuts the security fence in northern Samaria.

Border Police officers and soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces’ Paratrooper Brigade’s reconnaissance unit searched 50-plus homes, locating and confiscating terrorist funds, in addition to “combat equipment” used by terrorists, the Israel Police and IDF stated.

Two suspects were arrested during the raid, according to the statement.

After Israel’s 1948 War of Independence, Barta’a was divided into two parts, one under Jordanian jurisdiction, the other under Israeli control.

After Jerusalem retook the Judea and Samaria region in the 1967 Six-Day War the entire village came under Israel’s jurisdiction, until the 1990s, when control of the eastern part of Barta’a was relinquished to the P.A.

IDF soldiers also operated in several other areas across Judea overnight Tuesday, including in Hebron and the nearby city of Yatta, arresting four suspected Arab terrorists. One additional individual was arrested during an operation in the western Samaria terrorist hub of Tulkarem.

The IDF, Border Police and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) “will continue to operate wherever required in order to thwart terrorism and maintain the safety of Israeli civilians,” the agencies’ joint statement concluded.

During the June 13–24 “Operation Rising Lion” targeting Iran, Israeli security forces intensified counter-terror efforts across Judea and Samaria, conducting more than 2,500 raids, according to the IDF.

In addition, the IDF, police and Shin Bet took down six Palestinian terror cells that had been plotting attacks against civilians and security forces.

Israel’s Ynet outlet, citing security sources on June 23, reported that Iran views terrorist organizations across Judea and Samaria as its “last proxy” and was working to fuel further violence in the aftermath of the fighting.

Jerusalem is aware that a “more intense front” could open in Judea and Samaria amid the expansion of fighting with Hamas terrorists in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on March 19.