Defense Minister warns of potential war in West Bank, recommends IDF response measures

By The Jerusalem Post (World News) | Created at 2025-01-09 03:15:08 | Updated at 2025-01-09 15:57:03 13 hours ago
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In the meeting with local authorities. Katz discussed that Hamas originally planned to include West Bank communities in their October 7 attacks.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF JANUARY 9, 2025 04:54 Updated: JANUARY 9, 2025 04:59
 YONATHAN SINDEL/FLASH90) Israel Katz at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem on November 10, 2024. (photo credit: YONATHAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that the West Bank may be on the brink of war in a meeting with local authorities on Tuesday, N12 reported.

According to N12, the meeting was attended by Central Command chief Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth and Major General Ghassan Alian, head of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Katz discussed that Hamas originally planned to include West Bank communities in their October 7 attacks.

Following the terror attack that took place in the West Bank on Monday, Katz wrote in a post on X/Twitter that Israel would “not tolerate a Gaza-like reality in the West Bank.”

'Preparing for a full-scale war situation'

During the meeting, Katz said that the Defense Ministry is "preparing for a full-scale war situation," N12 quoted.

He then outlined a series of response measures for the IDF to implement, including “intensified military activity, large-scale counterterrorism operations in key areas, and stricter enforcement along major routes."

IDF soldiers conduct military operations in Judea and Samaria, September 19, 2024. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

In November, the Defense Ministry announced that it had begun building a fence along the Israel-Jordan border to stop the increased smuggling of weapons from Iran to Palestinians in the West Bank who are encouraged to use the guns to carry out attacks, an article from The Jerusalem Post wrote. 

This fence, which has been under intermittent construction for years, has now become a priority due to concerns of further escalation.

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