Katz orders IDF to prepare for full-scale war with Palestinian Authority, Oct. 7-style invasion

Israel’s defense minister has instructed the military to prepare for a possible October 7-style invasion from Judea and Samaria, as well as an all-out war with the Palestinian Authority, should the PA turn on Israel.

By World Israel News Staff

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Monday that the IDF has been ordered to prepare for a sweeping military campaign against the Palestinian Authority and its security forces if they launch — or are found to be preparing — an October 7-style attack against Israelis in Judea and Samaria.

Katz said the contingency plan was drawn up together with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and would be activated in the event of a “turning of the guns” by PA security personnel or affiliated groups against Israeli forces and Jewish communities.

Under the plan, Israel would move rapidly against senior Palestinian Authority officials, security bodies and terrorist infrastructure across the territory, with the goal of decisively defeating those involved rather than allowing a prolonged uprising to develop.

“We will not allow a return to the reality of an intifada lasting for years, as was the case in the past,” Katz said.

The defense minister said a major Israeli operation could include targeted killings of senior figures, evacuations from cities and villages used as bases for attacks, the destruction of terrorist infrastructure and a continued IDF presence in areas cleared during the fighting.

Katz compared the envisioned approach with Israeli operations in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as the military’s previous campaigns in the Jenin refugee camp and other parts of northern Samaria.

“We will not allow a return to the reality of October 7,” Katz said, adding that Israel would ensure the security of its citizens and communities.

The warning was framed as a contingency rather than an announcement that Israel had decided to attack the Palestinian Authority. Katz said the scenario would apply if PA security forces or associated organizations began an assault or if Israel obtained firm intelligence that such an offensive was about to be launched.

His comments came hours after a Palestinian terrorist stabbed an Israeli man at the Maoz Yehuda Farm near the village of Usarin in Samaria.

The victim, a man in his 20s, suffered multiple stab wounds and was evacuated to Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva in moderate-to-serious condition. Israeli forces sealed off nearby Palestinian villages and launched a manhunt for the attacker.

Troops later located the suspect near his vehicle. The IDF said the man attempted to stab soldiers when confronted, prompting an officer to open fire and kill him.

Netanyahu praised the forces involved in the pursuit and said Israel would continue targeting terrorist networks throughout Judea and Samaria.

“No terrorist has a hiding place,” Netanyahu said.

Katz said Israel’s current policy in the area rests on aggressively combating Palestinian terrorism, strengthening Jewish communities and maintaining overall security stability.

At the same time, he argued that terrorist activity in Judea and Samaria is currently at its lowest level in decades, saying Israel intends to prevent armed groups from rebuilding their capabilities.

The warning follows a series of recent Israeli operations against suspected terrorist cells in Samaria.

On Sunday, Israeli forces operating in the village of Aqaba arrested 10 suspected Hamas operatives who authorities said were working to advance attacks against Israelis. Security forces also discovered and destroyed a rocket without a launcher, along with an M16 rifle and large quantities of explosives intended for bomb production.

Two days earlier, Duvdevan commandos arrested five Palestinians in Qabatiya who the IDF said were preparing an attack against Israeli civilians and security forces. Soldiers seized an M16 rifle and additional military equipment during searches of the suspects’ homes.

The developments come amid broader Israeli concerns that an organized assault could eventually be launched from Judea and Samaria using methods similar to the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack from Gaza.

Israeli security officials have previously warned about weaknesses along portions of the seam line separating Judea and Samaria from central Israel, noting that several major Israeli population centers lie only a short distance from Palestinian Authority-controlled areas. The IDF has reinforced forces and defenses along sections of the barrier amid fears that armed groups could attempt a mass infiltration.

Concerns have also focused on the size and weaponry of the Palestinian Authority’s security services. A July report by former IDF Lt. Col. Maurice Hirsch argued that the PA maintains tens of thousands of armed personnel and warned that a breakdown in Israeli-PA security relations could create a substantially different threat from isolated terrorist cells.