Israeli forces launched an extended operation today (Wednesday) in the Qalandiya terror camp adjacent to Israel’s capital, Jerusalem. The operation comes against the backdrop of an escalation in the Arab terror wave and under the direction of the political leadership, following intelligence indicating significant terror organization inside the camp.
In line with this, the IDF distributed leaflets to residents of the Qalandiya refugee camp: “As you can see, there is no sanctuary for terror. IDF forces have begun an extensive operation in the area against terrorists. We will use all means, anywhere and at any time, to disrupt any attempt to carry out terrorist acts. Any attempt to harm Israeli civilians or Israeli security forces exposes perpetrators to live fire and arrest.”
As recalled, earlier this week we first reported that the political leadership approved a series of significant offensive operations across several sectors in Judea and Samaria aimed at thwarting terrorism. The decision follows a wave of Arab terror in recent weeks and the understanding that the Judea and Samaria arena has become an exceptionally volatile front.
The defense establishment prepared to expand offensive operations ahead of the upcoming holiday season. Within the system, there is a clear understanding that “what was will no longer be,” and that a shift must be made from defense to initiative. “We will not go into defense just because Arabs want to carry out attacks against us—we will initiate, we will attack, we will preempt,” a security official told Channel 14 News.
Since the outbreak of the war, both top military commanders and senior political officials placed the Judea and Samaria front at the bottom of the priority list. Now, voices are calling to allocate significantly more resources and capabilities to this arena in order to meet all necessary counter-terrorism objectives and guarantee the safety of residents.