How a Once-Marginal District on the Judea and Samaria Terrorism Scale is Heating Up and Challenging the Israeli Defense Establishment
Emerging capital of terrorism?
The Tulkarm district has not traditionally been one of the most challenging and hostile districts in Judea and Samaria. From among the territories administered by the Palestinian Authority, it is areas such as Jenin and Nablus that have, over the years, been seen as a hotbed of nationalist extremism that continually breeds terrorist groups and orchestrates attacks. For years, the security services have actively responded to intelligence alerts, targeting terrorist groups and preventing attacks throughout Judea and Samaria.
Examples include Operation Defensive Shield, the lengthy Operation Breakwater, and thousands of arrests over the past decade alone. In the specific period since October 7, 2023, more than 4,000 terrorists were arrested throughout the Judea and Samaria area by the IDF, the ISA, and special police units. Of those terrorists, 314 lived in or near Tulkarm.
The city of Tulkarm and its surrounding area, including the refugee camps and Nur Shams, made headlines recently because of videos on Telegram in which armed and masked young Palestinians documented themselves shooting across the Green Line at Hefer Valley communities and threatening Israeli citizens. Throughout the months of the War of Iron Swords, operational activity in and around Tulkarm intensified to a challenging level, demanding significant resources and heightened focus from the security services.
Nearly every week of the war, reports emerged of arrests in Tulkarm. The area became a launchpad for terror attacks, the formation of cells, and even airstrikes by the IDF targeting terror squads. From among 600 terrorists eliminated in Judea and Samaria since the start of the war, 125 were eliminated in and around Tulkarm — a weighty percentage. [1]
How did the Tulkarm district gain prominence, and how is Israel responding?
Operation Summer Camps, August 2024: An unprecedented and extensive operation in Tulkarm
On October 27, 2024, an extensive operation began in the north of the Judea and Samaria area, focusing on Jenin, Tulkarm, and the Nur a-Shams refugee camp. According to the IDF, the objectives were to impede terrorism by destroying various instruments of terror, to extend the area where the security services enjoy freedom of action, and to root out terror in the Judea and Samaria area. During the operation, explosives were cleared, several terrorists were eliminated by air strikes, and various war materials were confiscated, including light weapons. The operation included air support by drones, and air force aircraft took part in attacks.
Reports indicate that 15 terrorists have been eliminated in the operation to date, including Muhammad Jabr, also known as Abu Shuja’, the commander of the Tulkarm Brigade from the military wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). Jabr also led the Nur a-Shams group, responsible for numerous terror attacks, including the June 2024 murder of Israeli civilian Amnon Mukhtar; Adnan Jabr, who was involved in manufacturing IEDs; and Jibril Ghasan Isma’il Jibril, a key figure in terrorist activities in the Tulkarm/Qalqilya area, who was released as part of Israel’s prisoners-for-hostages deal with Hamas in November 2023.
Read the full article here: https://idsf.org.il/en/papers/tulkarm-terrorism-capital/
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