IDF expands West Bank operations with counterterrorism raids as Hebron offensive continues
The IDF is expanding its operations in the West Bank. Alongside an ongoing operation in the southern city of Hebron, the military has launched a targeted counterterrorism operation farther north, involving raids in eight villages and the city of Nablus. The two operations are being conducted under separate divisional commands: the 98th Division in the Hebron area and the Judea and Samaria Division in the northern West Bank. According to IDF assessments, the northern operation is expected to be relatively short and focused, unlike the prolonged operation in Hebron, which has sparked disagreements between military commanders and the political leadership.
Over the past 72 hours, IDF troops have operated in the area under the Samaria Regional Brigade as part of the new operation. On Wednesday morning, they demolished the homes of Zakaria Muhammad Abd Daoud and Ibrahim Abd al-Karim Abd Daoud in the village of Beita. According to the IDF, the two carried out three explosive-device attacks in 2024 and 2025, two of which wounded members of the security forces. Meanwhile, in the village of Yasid, soldiers from the Duvdevan undercover commando unit, acting on intelligence provided by the Shin Bet security agency, arrested a suspected terrorist accused of trafficking in explosive devices and weapons and transferring them to a terrorist cell.
Undercover Border Police officers from the Judea and Samaria district arrested another wanted suspect in the village. He is suspected of manufacturing explosives and weapons, trafficking in arms and planning an attack. As part of the operation, security forces also demolished 12 memorials commemorating terrorists, which the IDF said were associated with attacks and incitement to terrorism. The military noted that operations against incitement are conducted routinely under previously approved operational plans.
In addition, troops searched approximately 300 locations, arrested eight wanted suspects and located and confiscated weapons. Hebron operation continues despite military concerns While the operation in the northern West Bank proceeds, IDF forces continue operating in Hebron, where troops from the 98th Division were deployed following Friday's deadly attack, which killed Staff Sergeant Ron Yonatan Roytman and Sergeant Yuval Shai Svilem.
Left out here: Drops what it reported before
The article names the two soldiers killed in Friday's attack but never says the two attackers, Hebron residents, were killed at the scene. Ynet reported this itself days earlier. Without it, and with S23's talk of finding "the weapons used by the attackers", a reader can believe the Hebron offensive is a hunt for attackers still at large.
How we know
- Ynet News (English) wrote earlier“who killed the two Palestinian terrorists in the shooting attack near Hebron”IDF names two soldiers killed in deadly shooting attack near Hebron (opens in a new tab)
- Times of Israel reported“Hebron residents Mohammad Jaaba and Firas Jaaba opened fire on a checkpoint”IDF says Hebron raid continues, one more gun found, 6 suspects ... (opens in a new tab)
Three additional soldiers were lightly wounded. During searches in the city, troops located and confiscated weapons and equipment including an M16 rifle, knives and a military vest. In addition, undercover Yamam Border Police officers operating in the Judea and Samaria district, guided by Shin Bet intelligence, conducted overnight raids in several villages within the Judea Regional Brigade's area of responsibility. They arrested six wanted suspects, including Hamas terrorist operatives, suspected of involvement in terrorist activity, including planning attacks and advancing terrorist operations.
The operation in Hebron has continued despite limited operational achievements so far. Thousands of Palestinians have left their homes during the military activity, and IDF officials also have raised legal concerns about keeping residents away from their homes for extended periods, particularly given the relatively limited quantity of weapons discovered to date. A disagreement emerged between senior IDF commanders and the political leadership over whether the operation should continue.
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The article never says the IOF has sealed every entrance to Hebron and nearby villages since Friday. Without it, a reader believes the operation is searches and arrests rather than a citywide lockdown of the West Bank's largest city.
How we know
- Anadolu Agency (English) reported“The army has shut all entrances to Hebron and surrounding villages since Friday”Thousands displaced as Israeli army continues offensive in West Bank’s Hebron (opens in a new tab)
- Al Jazeera English reported“its lockdown of the occupied West Bank’s largest city entered its sixth day”Israeli forces continue West Bank raids as Hebron lockdown enters sixth day (opens in a new tab)
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir believed the military should consider ending the operation, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz demanded that it continue, citing, among other considerations, deterrence and the need to locate the weapons used by the attackers. The political leadership's position prevailed, and the operation is continuing. The Central Command's primary objective remains preventing the spread of attacks carried out by lone terrorists and local terrorist cells, prompting extensive counterterrorism activity across the region.
Another operation, this time within the IDF Alongside the two military operations in the West Bank, the IDF is preparing another initiative, this time within its own ranks: a nationwide effort to recover weapons and military equipment removed from the army and retained by active-duty soldiers and reservists. Between November 1 and 12, the IDF's Technology and Logistics Directorate will conduct an equipment-return campaign, opening approximately 65 collection points at military bases across Israel.
Under the initiative, soldiers and reservists will be able to return military equipment taken during their service without identifying themselves and without facing prosecution for unlawfully removing, possessing or carrying the items. Items eligible for return include firearms, night-vision devices, communications equipment, uniforms, ceramic body armor, helmets, tactical vests, medical supplies and other military gear. According to IDF officials, the initiative was developed partly in response to needs identified among troops.
Many reservists still possess military equipment accumulated during periods of service and are being asked to return it to the army. The campaign is intended to make returning the equipment straightforward, without criminal proceedings or identification requirements, while bringing weapons and other military property held outside the military system back under IDF control. Thus, even as the IDF expands its counterterrorism operations in the West Bank, it is also addressing the issue of weapons and equipment that remain in soldiers' possession after their service, seeking to ensure that military property is returned to the army's control.
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