By: Fern Sidman

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Sunday that terror threats in Judea and Samaria have dropped by 80% since the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) implemented a significantly more aggressive counterterrorism policy earlier this year, World Israel News reported. The statement marks one of the most substantial claimed security improvements in the region in recent years and reflects what Katz described as a decisive operational shift in dealing with terrorist networks.

Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Katz identified the refugee camps of Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams as “hotbeds of terrorism,” asserting that these sites were constructed and sustained with Iranian financial backing, weaponry, and training. He characterized them as key nodes in the so-called “Axis of Resistance,” a network of Tehran-aligned groups and militias working to undermine Israeli security. According to the information provided in the World Israel News report, Katz stressed that these locations have served as operational launch points for numerous attacks throughout Judea and Samaria.

Katz said that in response to these persistent threats, he directed the IDF to initiate and maintain a “powerful offensive” against these camps and their affiliated terror infrastructure. The campaign, he explained, involves multiple coordinated measures: the evacuation of residents from specific zones, the targeted elimination of terrorists, the dismantling of logistical and weapons networks, and the establishment of a long-term military presence in the affected areas.

“This is the correct model for fighting terrorism: strike it decisively and pursue it relentlessly in Judea and Samaria, in Gaza, and everywhere,” Katz said, as cited by World Israel News. He further noted that this sustained approach would continue at least through the end of 2025, signaling that the government intends to keep pressure on these areas for the foreseeable future.

The most visible expression of the new counterterror policy has been Operation Iron Wall, which commenced in January and has focused heavily on Jenin. According to the information contained in the World Israel News report, this campaign has targeted armed cells with known links to Iranian operatives and funding channels. Conducted jointly by the IDF and Israel’s internal security agency, the Shin Bet, the operation has led to the deaths of multiple terrorists and the disruption of key terror networks that had been entrenched in the region.

Security sources told World Israel News that the operation’s success stems from a combination of precision intelligence work, rapid-response raids, and the destruction of physical infrastructure, such as weapons manufacturing sites and smuggling routes. In several cases, Israeli forces also seized stockpiles of explosives and firearms intended for use in attacks against civilian and military targets.

The identification of Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams as strategic Iranian footholds reflects what the report at World Israel News described as growing concern in Israel’s defense establishment about Tehran’s widening influence in Judea and Samaria. While Iranian involvement in Gaza via Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad is well documented, Israeli officials say the past several years have seen increased Iranian funding and operational support for terrorists residing in Judea and Samaria.

According to the report at World Israel News, Iranian advisors have facilitated training in urban combat and explosives assembly, while also directing funds through intermediaries to pay operatives and incentivize attacks. Katz’s framing of the camps as part of the “Axis of Resistance” underscores the Israeli view that local terror cells are integrated into a broader regional confrontation orchestrated by Tehran.

In addition to intensified military operations, the government has implemented new security regulations to curb terrorist activities. In July, the IDF introduced a rule banning the wearing of face masks in outdoor public areas across Judea and Samaria. The regulation carries penalties of up to six months in prison for violations, with significantly harsher consequences — a minimum two-year sentence — for those committing crimes while masked.

As the report at World Israel News noted, the measure is intended to prevent Palestinian terrorists from concealing their identities during attacks or confrontations with Israeli forces. Israeli defense officials have argued that such concealment has long aided attackers in evading arrest and prosecution.

Katz’s announcement of an 80% reduction in threats serves both as a public affirmation of the government’s security strategy and as a message to Israel’s adversaries. While World Israel News reported that official military statistics have not yet been released to detail the methodology behind the figure, the claim aligns with recent statements by security officials noting a decline in attempted attacks over the summer months.

The defense minister’s decision to credit the sustained military presence and targeted offensives reflects a broader trend within Israel’s security policy: prioritizing proactive disruption over reactive containment. According to the report at World Israel News, Katz has long advocated for maintaining a strong and enduring footprint in areas seen as incubators for terrorist activity.

The coming months will serve as a critical test for the durability of the reported gains. The IDF’s presence in the identified hotbeds is expected to continue through at least the end of 2025, but maintaining operational momentum will require sustained intelligence gathering, rapid-response capabilities, and effective coordination between the military, Shin Bet, and other security agencies.

Observers quoted by World Israel News note that while short-term drops in attack frequency are encouraging, the underlying ideological and logistical drivers of terrorism in Judea and Samaria remain entrenched. These include external funding channels, local recruitment efforts, and the porousness of certain border areas to weapons smuggling.

For now, Katz’s assertion that the new counterterror model can be replicated “in Judea and Samaria, in Gaza, and everywhere” points to the possibility that the strategies honed in Operation Iron Wall could be adapted to other theaters of conflict. Such an approach, World Israel News reports, would require balancing aggressive military action with the resources and political will to sustain long-term deployments.