IDF: ‘Unprecedented operations’ clear terror hotbeds in Samaria

The army has regained its freedom of action, opening 11 km of roads in three major “refugee camps.”

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Since January 2025, Operation Iron Wall has been concentrating on northern Samaria, with the IDF’s stated aims being to preserve IDF mobility, neutralize terrorist infrastructure and eliminate imminent (“ticking bomb”) threats.

To realize these goals, Col. A. said his engineers have “destroyed 260 buildings and created 11 kilometers of open roads for ourselves. This is not demolition for the sake of demolition, but for an operational purpose, to preserve freedom of action.”

Over the last two decades, he explained, the Palestinians built these neighborhoods in such a way that “a private car could not pass through.”

Dozens of IDF soldiers have been killed or wounded in anti-terror raids in the refugee camps over recent years, both due to the narrow passageways that slowed down the forces, making them easier targets, and the multiple bombs hidden under so many streets they would have to traverse.

This dangerous situation must not be allowed to continue, the officer stated.

“When we’re done, they won’t be able to build [again]. There is a general’s order that allows our forces to enter and destroy [and] keep the field clear.”

“We called it ‘transforming the refugee camps into living neighborhoods,’” he added.

He noted that there is also an ongoing “dialogue” with the Palestinian Authority (PA) about the future of the camps, which are currently dominated by Hamas, the authority’s deadly rival.

“It was explained to them that we did not come to wipe out the camp and now ‘let’s fix it,’” Col. A. said. “We cleaned up the dirt and debris, and they need to fix water and electricity and return residents later, in accordance with a decision by the political echelon. The discussions are still in the planning stages.”

Many Palestinians fled the incipient battle zones after being warned by the IDF to do so, just as the army does regularly in the Gaza Strip, sacrificing the element of surprise to try saving civilian lives.

The IDF first decided to make a major anti-terror push in Judea and Samaria after a string of deadly Palestinian attacks in Israel in 2022, calling the operation “Breaking the Wave.”

In Operation Iron Wall alone, more than 100 terrorists have been killed and more than 300 suspects have been arrested.

The results have been forthcoming, the security establishment said in May.

While there were an average of 214 terrorist attacks a month in 2023, the numbers dropped to 115 in 2024,and further declined to just 57 in the first five months of this year.