IDF Reports 11,500 Operations and 1,770 Arrests in West Bank Drive
Israel’s security establishment published a half-year review on Thursday of an intensified offensive campaign in the West Bank, saying the army is pursuing a new security doctrine aimed at reshaping the area and stopping terror threats before they mature. According to IDF spokesperson data, the effort culminated in Operation Iron Wall in refugee camps in northern Samaria, including Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur al-Shams, where Israeli forces achieved full operational control and dismantled a funded, fortified terror infrastructure.
Since the start of 2026, the IDF says it has carried out 11,500 offensive actions, including arrests and special operations. During those activities, forces confiscated about 570 firearms, including M16 rifles, pistols and improvised weapons, destroyed 40 machine shops used to manufacture explosives and military equipment, and seized 7.8 million shekels that were intended for hostile terror activity. More than 1,770 wanted suspects were arrested, including people involved in terror, incitement and weapons production.
The army also said Yahalom combat engineers and Battalion 967 recently operated in the Balata and Ras al-Ain camps, where 18 more weapons-production workshops were found and destroyed. In parallel, the IDF completed a major force-building process following the October 7 attacks, establishing Division 96, also called the Yigleadi Formation, and the new “Flash” brigades, known as David Brigades.
Those brigades comprise 25 battalions and more than 15,000 reservists, most of them volunteers, who finished intensive training and are now being deployed to their home sectors. Brigade Negba is going to the Southern Command, Brigade Yehonatan to the West Bank, Brigade Tel Hai to the Northern Command, while Brigades Arieh and Israel will remain under Division 96. In drills, the battalions showed readiness levels above 90 percent and reported mobilization times of under two hours. The IDF said this reflects a shift from reactive defense to active control of terror hubs, while the Shin Bet recently warned that terror groups continue to operate outside Israel, including from Turkey, to direct attacks into the West Bank.
