Defense Minister Israel Katz has instructed the IDF to prepare to take control of another Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank following a series of deadly incidents in the region last week.
The directive comes after violence near the Palestinian village of Tell, southwest of Nablus, left two Israeli soldiers and four Palestinians dead and prompted a broad Israeli security operation across the northern West Bank.
(Photo: IDF)
Katz issued the order following a security assessment Monday attended by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the heads of the military’s Operations and Intelligence directorates, the commander of the IDF Central Command, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, the commander of the Israel Police’s West Bank district and representatives of the Shin Bet and other security agencies.
According to Katz’s office, the military was instructed to expand offensive operations against Palestinian terrorism and prepare to seize another refugee camp under the model used in Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams in the northern West Bank.
Residents of those camps were evacuated, terrorist infrastructure was dismantled and Israeli forces established an ongoing presence, the statement said.
The Defense Ministry said the policy, introduced after Katz became defense minister and backed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, contributed to an approximately 80% decline in terrorist activity during 2025 and into 2026.
The statement did not identify the refugee camp being considered for the next operation.