A young mother on her way to deliver her fourth baby was murdered in a terror attack just last week.
To outsiders, it may seem like a tragic outlier. But Israeli security experts say these attacks are frequent attempts—and only appear rare due to daily counterterrorism operations by the IDF.
JUDEA AND SAMARIA WARZONE
(ILTV)
In 2024, the Shin Bet recorded 6,828 terror incidents in the West Bank—nearly double the year before. More than 1,000 major attacks were thwarted in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
ILTV traveled to Nablus—known in Hebrew as Shechem—a city long considered a terror stronghold, to see the situation firsthand.
According to Governor Ghassan Daghlas, 536,000 people live in Nablus, along with 62,000 Palestinian refugees across four camps.
“Usually, ‘refugee’ is a temporary status," explained former IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus. "These people are forced to be refugees for generation after generation—not for their benefit...
"That is a tool to keep the problem alive… What it does is create the perfect conditions for breeding terrorists.”
While the Palestinian Authority still officially controls security in Nablus, experts say its grip is slipping.
“The Palestinian Authority is suffering from severe disability to operate," Concricus said. "Any vacuum in security is, of course, filled by other actors with other agendas.”
Iran is now smuggling weapons into the West Bank through Jordan—arming extremists in places like Nablus. Experts say Hamas' influence is growing. If elections were held today, polls show Hamas would likely win, and the territories would see a surge in violence.
In response, Israel has increased raids on militant infrastructure in Palestinian cities. The goal: prevent future attacks. Most operations are successful—but not always.
These missions and a series of new checkpoints also make life harder for Palestinian civilians. Since October 7, the West Bank’s unemployment rate has spiked from 12.9% to 32%. Over 300,000 Palestinians have lost income—half from jobs in Israel.
The UN estimates a $25.5 million daily loss in labor income. More than 40% of West Bank businesses have cut staff.
In refugee camps and cities, poverty is rampant. Stores are closed, kids play war in alleyways, and the economy is collapsing.
“Entrances—they are manned by checkpoints, Israeli army checkpoints," Nablus Mayor Hussam Shakhshir said. "Sometimes they let people pass simply and they don’t take time, and sometimes they stay at the checkpoint three hours.”
He added: “We used to have 120,000 visitors per day… These days we are receiving about 20,000 people.”
It’s a tragedy for both peoples. However, as Conricus said, easing up on security would likely open the door to more bloodshed.