Palestinian Authority faces unprecedented crisis as Hamas gains support in Judea and Samaria

‘The Palestinian Authority is at an unprecedented low,’ a Fatah official stated.

By Baruch Yedid, TPS

In recent months, a growing number of young Palestinians have reportedly joined Hamas, raising alarm within the Palestinian Authority about its waning control.

A senior member of Fatah, the dominant faction within the PA, acknowledged to The Press Service of Israel that Hamas’s popularity is particularly dire in northern Samaria, where Israel launched the largest counterterror operation in months, and in the Hebron area, where coordinated car bombings on Friday night and a drive-by shooting on Sunday killed three police officers.

“There is no doubt that elements stronger than Hamas are operating in the territories of Judea and Samaria, especially in the north and Hebron, because there is no other way to explain the intense activity among the terrorist cells belonging to Hamas or acting on its behalf,” a very senior Fatah official told TPS-IL.

“Many of the top Hamas are being held in Israeli prisons, which raises the assessment that other parties, who are probably not in the territories of the West Bank, Judea and Samaria, are responsible for the intense activity.”

This escalation comes amid a broader strategy by Hamas to extend its influence beyond Gaza.

The organization appears to be leveraging its presence in Judea and Samaria to divert attention from the Gaza Strip, where it faces significant pressure from Israeli military operations.

The Israeli raids — dubbed Operation Summer Camps — in northern Samaria and the Jordan Valley were prompted by intelligence indicating that terror groups were preparing further attacks on Israel.

In Hebron, local sources confirmed that two individuals involved in a recent attempted car bomb attack in Gush Etzyon were recognized as Hamas operatives, despite their familial ties to Fatah.

The security establishment has yet to confirm the organizational affiliations of these attackers or those responsible for a separate attack at the Tarkumiya intersection earlier today.

However, the incidents align with recent calls by senior Hamas figure Khaled Mashaal to renew suicide bombings across the region.

The situation has become more volatile following a failed attack attempt in Tel Aviv, which was followed by calls from both Hamas and Islamic Jihad for the resumption of suicide bombings.

These groups have also been using social media to encourage general mobilization and incite violence against Israeli settlers.

Fatah officials have been working to persuade armed groups in Shechem (Nablus) to surrender to the PA, but their efforts have been largely unsuccessful.

“The Palestinian Authority is at an unprecedented low,” a Fatah official told TPS-IL.

“We are shocked by the drift in its position, and there is grave fear that Israel will take advantage of the situation to destroy the infrastructure in the refugee camps, similar to what it did in the Gaza Strip.”

Analysts told TPS-IL that the military operation signals an Israeli shift in security coordination with Ramallah.

Hebron, a long-standing Hamas stronghold, has returned to the spotlight in recent days.

The two individuals involved in the Gush Etzion car bomb attack were both students at institutions closely associated with Hamas—the Polytechnic and the Islamic University—further highlighting the group’s entrenched influence in the region.

In addition to local recruitment, terrorism in Judea and Samaria has received substantial support through arms shipments from Lebanon and Syria.

Last week, Israel carried out an operation in Sidon, killing Khalil Hussein Khalil al-Maqdah, a senior member of “Al-Aqsa.”

Israeli intelligence believes Makdeh was instrumental in smuggling weapons, including explosives, rocket launchers, grenades, and landmines, into Judea and Samaria.

A senior Palestinian Authority official disclosed that the arms smuggling route runs from Lebanon and Syria through a border triangle, eventually reaching Judea and Samaria through breaches in the border fence.

This influx of weaponry has further complicated efforts to stabilize the region and curb the influence of terrorist groups.

Since October 7, Israeli security forces have arrested approximately 5,000 wanted Palestinian terror suspects, of whom 2,000 were members of Hamas.

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