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Photos: Published by Haaretz
Israeli forces gather near a West Bank outpost, shortly after settlers raided a Palestinian village as an act of revenge for the murder of Israeli teenager Binyamin Ahimeir, in April. Credit: Itay Ron

IDF soldiers in the Nur al-Shams refugee camp on Thursday [8/29/24]. Credit: AFP
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The army said that the leadership in Jewish settlements in the West Bank does little to curb the violence, which the Shin Bet security service also says is 'causing indescribable damage to Israel'

by Yaniv Kubovich for Haaretz
Aug 29, 2024 4:53 pm IDT

The Israeli army joined on Thursday the Shin Bet security service's warning over Jewish terrorism in the West Bank, adding that the leadership in Jewish settlements does little to curb the violence.

Last week, the head of the Shin Bet Ronen Bar warned in a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Jewish terrorism is endangering Israel's existence. The leaders of the Jewish terrorists "want to cause the system to lose control, causing indescribable damage to Israel," Bar wrote to prime minister, other ministers and the attorney general in a letter released by Israel's Channel 12 News.

He notes the perpetrators of Jewish terror have lost all fear of administrative detention "due to the conditions they get in prison and the funds they receive after their release from Knesset members as well as legitimacy and praise, alongside a delegitimization campaign against the defense officials." All these give a tailwind to the Jewish terrorism, says Bar.

The IDF also announced that the Rafah brigade of Hamas operating in the Gaza Strip has been disbanded by Israeli forces in the area, and that approximately 80 percent of the tunnels in the Rafah area have been destroyed, among them tunnels that cross the Philadelphi route along the border with Egypt.

The army added that Israeli forces operated "freely within the Rafah area, and ambushed forces successfully target Hamas members attempting to escape from tunnels, preventing attempts to flee toward the humanitarian areas designated by the army."

Referring to its activity in the West Bank since Wednesday, the IDF also announced that troops are operating mainly throughout refugee camps in an attempt to prevent terror attacks in the region. The army noted that coordination with the Palestinian Authority has not been affected.

Additionally, the army noted that the security establishment believes there are attempts by external actors, including Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah, to incite unrest in the West Bank.

According to the army, it has so far successfully targeted "two terror cells that were preparing to carry out significant attacks," and dozens of explosive devices and production facilities were discovered.