The Israeli military is now treating the occupied West Bank as its “second most critical front” after the nearly year-long conflict in Gaza, according to a report by Israeli Hebrew-language newspaper Israel Hayom. The shift in policy for the West Bank, previously regarded as a “secondary arena” that required only “stable maintenance,” indicates a significant change in strategy and tactics.
Since August 28, Israel has been conducting an expanded military campaign in the northern West Bank that has resulted in the deaths of at least 30 Palestinian civilians in the settlements of Jenin, Tulkarm, Tubas, and Hebron, including at least seven children. The military operation, which included drone strikes, sniper attacks, and the use of bulldozers to destroy infrastructure and cut off communications, has been dubbed “Operation Summer Camps.” This is the largest military offensive in the West Bank since “Operation Defensive Shield” in 2002 during the Second Intifada.
Security officials linked these actions to several recent Palestinian attacks, including a car bombing near the illegally constructed settlement cluster of Gush Etzion just southwest of Bethlehem that injured three Israelis and the recent killing of Israeli security officers in the occupied West Bank city of Tarqumiya by a former member of Palestinian Authority (PA) security services.
Reports from Israeli and international media noted that PA security forces are cooperating with the Israeli Defense Forces in attacking Palestinian communities. Analysts told the Middle East Eye that PA is interested in aiding Israel against militant groups in the West Bank because of how these groups have helped weaken and marginalize PA leadership due to their willingness to defend Palestinians and confront Israeli settlers and security forces directly.
Since the outbreak of war in Gaza on October 7, at least 682 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed by Israeli security forces and armed illegal settlers. Over 3,000 West Bank Palestinians have been displaced due to demolition operations, and the United Nations has recorded over 1,250 attacks by Israeli illegal settlers on Palestinians.
The Palestinian Prisoners Society reported that more than 10,000 Palestinians have been illegally detained in the West Bank since October 7. Israeli government claims “threat” from West Bank just as critical as Gaza. Israel’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Israel Katz, has drawn a direct comparison between the West Bank and Gaza, stating that Israel must deal with the threat in the West Bank the same way it does in Gaza.
While Israeli officials have consistently framed these operations as targeting “terrorists” to eliminate armed militants, much like in Gaza, the majority of casualties are innocent civilians caught in the crossfire. While militants do exist in the West Bank, and some have been killed in recent raids, their presence is a consequence of long-standing conditions under Israeli occupation, where decades of oppression and violence have fueled resistance.
The recent surge in violence in the West Bank has led to increased support for Hamas among Palestinians, although this support is largely a reaction to Israel’s actions rather than an endorsement of Hamas itself.