By: Fern Sidman

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a stark message Monday night following the murderous terrorist attack in northern Jerusalem’s Ramot neighborhood that left six Israelis dead and a dozen others wounded. Speaking during a visit to the Israel Air Force command center in Tel Aviv, the premier pledged a sweeping campaign against terrorist infrastructure across Judea and Samaria, declaring that Israel’s response would go far beyond the elimination of the two gunmen responsible for the latest atrocity.

“That we eliminated these two terrorists is not enough. That we will go after their supporters and accomplices is also not enough,” Netanyahu said, according to a report on Tuesday at The Jewish News Syndicate (JNS). “My directive is to forcefully go after the nests of terrorism.”

The prime minister pointed to recent IDF operations in northern Samaria as a model for Israel’s coming actions. He noted that as part of “Operation Iron Wall,” ongoing since late January, the IDF had already “eliminated the nests of terror in three refugee camps.”

“We simply evacuated the population from there and flattened all terrorist infrastructure, and my directive is to do this in additional terrorist nests,” Netanyahu stated. His words, reported by JNS, emphasize Israel’s determination to escalate counter-terrorism measures, shifting from reactive responses to systemic campaigns aimed at dismantling the environment in which terrorism takes root.

In parallel to Netanyahu’s remarks, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir announced a series of operational escalations. In a statement carried by JNS, Zamir said he had ordered “a full closure of the area from which the terrorists came,” pledging an ongoing “operational and intelligence effort” to pursue terrorist cells and destroy infrastructure networks across Judea and Samaria.

“We will continue with a determined and ongoing operational and intelligence effort,” Zamir vowed. “We will pursue terrorist cells everywhere, thwart terrorist infrastructure and its organizers.”

On Tuesday morning, the IDF confirmed it had expanded counter-terrorism operations in multiple villages near Ramallah, searching for suspects, questioning individuals, and scanning potential hideouts. Troops of the Binyamin Brigade entered the villages of Qatanna and Al-Qubeiba, the hometowns of the terrorists Mohammad Taha and Muthanna Amro, to map their residences ahead of potential demolition, JNS reported.

Defense Minister Israel Katz reinforced the military campaign with civilian sanctions aimed at deterring future attackers. On Tuesday, Katz announced measures against the terrorists’ families and communities, including the demolition of illegal structures in their villages and the revocation of 750 permits allowing residents to enter Israel proper.

According to the information provided in the JNS report, Katz’s decision followed a recommendation from Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, head of the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT). The combined use of military operations and civilian sanctions reflects Israel’s evolving strategy: targeting both the perpetrators and the broader support systems that enable terrorism.

The carnage unfolded on Monday morning when terrorists opened fire on a crowded Line 62 bus stuck in traffic and on civilians waiting at a hitchhiking stop. Eyewitnesses recounted how the assailants fired automatic weapons at passengers’ heads from close range. Within moments, six Israelis were dead, including three in their 30s and another in his 50s. Twelve others were injured, seven of them seriously, JNS reported.

The attack was halted only after swift action by a haredi IDF soldier and an armed yeshiva student, who managed to kill both attackers at the scene. Their intervention prevented what could have become an even larger massacre.

Almost immediately, the Gaza-based Hamas terrorist organization released a statement praising what it described as a “heroic operation.” According to the information contained in the JNS report, Hamas claimed the shooting was carried out by “two Palestinian resistance fighters” and framed it as a “natural response to the occupation’s crimes.”

The terror group called on Palestinians throughout Judea and Samaria to “escalate the confrontation with the occupation and its settlers.” This incitement further confirmed what Israeli officials have long stressed: that Hamas seeks not only to orchestrate attacks directly from Gaza but also to inspire a broader wave of decentralized violence across the region.

Netanyahu’s comments about “flattening” terror nests and Zamir’s vow to pursue terrorists everywhere highlight the shift in Israel’s counter-terrorism approach following October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led forces launched their unprecedented massacre in southern Israel. As JNS has noted, the government and military are increasingly focused on uprooting terrorism at its roots rather than relying solely on retaliatory strikes.

The prime minister’s emphasis on dismantling entire neighborhoods that harbor terrorist infrastructure reflects a doctrine of deterrence aimed at sending a clear message: terror attacks will result not only in the deaths of their perpetrators but also in the destruction of the networks and communities that support them.

Netanyahu’s directive comes at a politically charged moment. Families of hostages still held in Gaza continue to demand action, while communities across Judea and Samaria face near-daily threats from sporadic shootings, stabbings, and car-ramming incidents. The Ramot massacre, reported extensively by JNS, has once again fueled debates within Israel about how to balance aggressive counter-terrorism with the need to protect civilian life.

Defense Minister Katz’s civilian sanctions represent one attempt to strike that balance — punishing those directly connected to terrorism while avoiding blanket measures against wider Palestinian populations. Yet such measures also risk inflaming tensions further, especially as Hamas seeks to exploit local grievances to fuel recruitment.

For now, Israel’s immediate focus is on preventing further attacks. Roadblocks around Jerusalem have been tightened, and IDF operations across Judea and Samaria continue. The IDF has pledged to maintain pressure until the terrorist networks responsible for incitement and organization are fully neutralized.

As the JNS report emphasized, the Ramot attack illustrates the dual nature of the threats Israel faces: highly organized terror networks in Gaza and decentralized, locally inspired attacks in Judea and Samaria. The government’s response, combining military force, intelligence operations, and civilian sanctions, is intended to address both simultaneously.

The massacre in Ramot has deepened Israel’s determination to eradicate terrorism at its roots. Netanyahu’s vow to “flatten” terror nests, Zamir’s orders for expanded operations, and Katz’s civilian sanctions together signal a comprehensive and uncompromising approach.

As reported by JNS, the government’s message is unambiguous: no village, no community, no individual connected to terror will be immune from consequences. While Hamas praises the bloodshed and calls for escalation, Israel is responding with a strategy designed to crush the infrastructure of terror and reassert its deterrent power.

The coming weeks will test the effectiveness of these measures — and the resilience of a society determined to protect its citizens in the face of relentless threats.