Operation Iron Wall

Overview

Operation Iron Wall, initiated by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in January 2025, is a large-scale counter-terrorism operation primarily targeting Jenin and other areas within the West Bank. This operation involved the collaboration of the IDF, Shin Bet, and Border Police. It was launched in response to heightened security concerns and increased terror attacks from the area. The Israeli government designated the West Bank as a war objective, aiming to significantly damage the capabilities of terror organizations in the region while strengthening defense and security.

The IDF communicated that military activities would persist as long as necessary to prevent violent escalation and terrorism. The operation also coincided with the Hamas-Israel hostage and ceasefire agreement that involved the release of numerous terrorists into the region. These releases further exacerbated security threats, as many of these individuals are prone to return to terrorist activities. Coupled with incitement from Hamas, the IDF Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevi, directed the military to prepare for further counter-terrorism operations in response to increased terror-related activities.

Among the terrorist organizations active in the West Bank are Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the Lion’s Den, al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestin (PFLP), and ISIS. These groups engage in planning attacks, recruitment, training, logistics, and various forms of violence, including stabbings, car-ramming incidents, shootings, ambushes, and sniper attacks. They utilize IEDs and rockets to target roads, checkpoints, military vehicles, Israeli communities, military outposts, and border areas. The IDF has discovered underground infrastructure, including tunnels and terror shafts, used by these organizations.

Although initially planned for December, the operation was postponed to allow for activities by Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces in the area. The PA had undertaken a month-long operation targeting local Palestinian terror groups in Jenin. Despite these efforts, the Israeli defense establishment considered them insufficient, especially after a terror attack near Kedumim. The PA’s security mechanisms have been acting against armed groups in northern Samaria, and essential security coordination with the IDF is ongoing.

Objectives

The stated objectives of Operation Iron Wall are multifaceted. These included restoring and maintaining security control within the area to prevent violent outbreaks, ensuring the IDF’s operational freedom throughout the West Bank, dismantling terrorist infrastructure, neutralizing immediate threats, and eliminating terrorists while uncovering explosive devices in areas including Jenin, Tulkarm, Tammun, Far’a, and Nur al-Shams.

Key events and developments

The operation unfolded on January 21, 2025, when the IDF officially launched the operation in Jenin. The operation began with an aerial UAV strike targeting terrorist infrastructure, while PA security forces withdrew as Israeli troops took charge. IDF ground forces, supported by engineering equipment, entered Jenin. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the operation’s objective to eliminate terrorism in Jenin and enhance security in the West Bank. The IDF communicated that the operation was expected to last several days.

In the initial phase, the focus was on Jenin and its refugee camp. IDF forces utilized D9 bulldozers to locate and neutralize explosives planted on strategic roads. Palestinian media reported firefights occurring in the city and refugee camp area, with a local Islamic Jihad cell in Jenin engaging Israeli special forces.

The operation expanded to include Tulkarem and Tamun, with the IDF intensifying arrest operations across the West Bank. Aerial strikes targeted terrorist cells, and Defense Minister Israel Katz directed the IDF to destroy any building linked to terrorist activity. The IDF demolished 23 buildings in the Jenin refugee camp that terror operatives had used.

In February 2025, the IDF announced that it had expanded its operations in the region, launching an offensive in the Nur al-Shams refugee camp near Tulkarm, a stronghold for terror activity. Led by the Ephraim Brigade, IDF troops, alongside Border Police and the Shin Bet, have been targeting armed terrorists, dismantling explosive devices, and seizing command centers. The Shin Bet has been crucial in thwarting terror attacks, preventing approximately 150 significant incidents this year. The IDF is expected to maintain its presence in the northern West Bank, possibly through Ramadan, to neutralize terror brigades and prevent celebrations for released prisoners, as intelligence indicates many return to terrorist activities.

Days later, the IDF announced that it had arrested more than 90 terrorists and destroyed dozens of explosive devices in the past week.

On February 20, 2025, a series of coordinated bombings targeted buses in central Israel, including Bat Yam, in a planned mass terror attack. No one was harmed, yet the explosions were intended to cause mass civilian casualties. The disaster was prevented due to the devices being incorrectly set. Israeli security forces linked the attack to Iran, which supplied funds, weapons, and training to Hamas operatives in the West Bank. The IDF has deployed additional troops while blocking entry to parts of the West Bank. Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz ordered intensified military and security operations in response, with the IDF preparing a large-scale operation against terror strongholds. Hamas’s Tulkarm battalion hinted at responsibility, calling the attack part of their “jihad.” 

Later that month, the IDF, in collaboration with Shin Bet, successfully foiled a terrorist plot in Kabatiya, northern West Bank, involving a 100 kg bomb. Nahal Brigade troops participated in the counterterrorism operation led by Shin Bet, which resulted in the apprehension of 15 terrorists, the discovery of weapons, and the dismantling of explosives, including a high-powered improvised device, after searching dozens of terrorist infrastructure sites.

In March 2025, Israeli forces killed Issar Saadi, the head of a Hamas terror network in Jenin. Saadi and another gunman were killed in a shootout, and three wanted Palestinians were arrested, with weapons recovered at the scene. Another gunman was killed separately, and a Palestinian armed with a knife was shot at a checkpoint near Homesh. 

The Israeli military has launched a new phase of its “Iron Wall” operation in the northern West Bank in May 2025, notifying residents of the Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps that it plans to demolish about 100 structures—60 in Tulkarm and 40 in Nur Shams—as part of efforts to dismantle entrenched terror networks. Footage shared by Palestinians showed Israeli soldiers delivering demolition notices, prompting residents to rush back and retrieve belongings. The demolitions aim to create safe access routes for IDF forces, similar to actions recently taken in Jenin with High Court approval. Israeli security officials stated that rebuilding will not be allowed on the cleared sites, vowing to enact lasting change. Two IDF battalions are currently operating in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams, while operations have also expanded in the Balata camp, where a local terror cell leader was recently arrested.

Consequences

Israeli security forces arrested a six-member Palestinian terror cell from Nablus that was operating under Hamas’s Turkey-based headquarters, planning shooting and bombing attacks. During the operation, an M16 rifle and $60,000 in cash were seized. The suspects, detained between January and February, were linked to prior attacks and explosive device placements—intelligence from interrogations led to the discovery and dismantling of a buried explosive device in the West Bank. The investigation provided crucial evidence, preventing future attacks and leading to the prosecution of all suspects who remain in custody.

In early February 2025, the IDF announced that over 50 Palestinian terror operatives had been killed in the West Bank since the operation’s inception. More than 100 wanted Palestinians had been arrested, and approximately 40 weapons had been confiscated, along with over 80 explosive devices neutralized. The IDF also acknowledged that several civilians had been mistakenly killed during the operation.

Days later, it was reported that Israeli security forces carried out counter-terrorism operations across the West Bank during the past week, resulting in the arrest of over 60 wanted suspects and the seizure of numerous weapons, including M-16 rifles, handguns, Carlo firearms, explosives, and bomb-making materials. In addition to these actions, authorities took preventive steps to address potential disturbances and celebrations related to the release of convicted terrorists. These measures included issuing warnings, conducting interrogations, confiscating incitement materials, and removing a Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) statue in Bethlehem. 

It was reported that Israel’s ongoing military operation in the West Bank has displaced approximately 40,000 Palestinians, marking the most significant civilian displacement in the region since 1967.

In early March, Israel’s security forces concluded a month-long counterterrorism operation in the northern West Bank, eliminating approximately 25 terrorists, including bomb-makers and attack planners, and arresting 350 wanted individuals. The operation also led to the confiscation of around 120 weapons and the destruction of hundreds of explosive devices.

Later that month, Israeli security forces seized one of the largest weapons caches found in the West Bank in recent years during a raid in Al-Ram near Ramallah. The operation, led by the IDF, Israel Police, and Shin Bet, uncovered M-16 rifles, a sniper rifle, explosives, ammunition, and cash. Officials emphasized the importance of preventing these weapons from reaching terrorists and criminals, especially amid rising security concerns linked to Hamas and Iran’s smuggling efforts. The seizure comes as security forces intensify efforts to curb illegal arms trafficking, particularly with the recent release of Palestinian prisoners and the approach of Ramadan. The origins of the weapons remain under investigation.

Responses

Prime Minister Netanyahu affirmed that the operation advanced the goal of strengthening security in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank).

Defense Minister Katz emphasized using maximum force to protect communities in the area. Katz later stated that Israel is dismantling terrorist infrastructure in refugee camps and preventing its resurgence, vowing not to allow Iran to establish an eastern terror front that threatens Israeli communities.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich characterized it as a sustained and comprehensive campaign targeting terrorist elements.

Hamas voiced strong criticism of the PA for cooperating with the IDF.

The German Foreign Ministry urged Israel to protect civilians, allow displaced Palestinians to return, and withdraw from Jenin, citing the Palestinian Authority’s security role under the Oslo Accords. It warned that a continued Israeli presence undermines the PA, “deepens the occupation,” and destabilizes the region.

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