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Amid Gaza War, IDF Steps Up West Bank Raids to Quell Potential Front
(Times of Israel) Emanuel Fabian - The IDF has arrested 2,000 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 1,100 affiliated with Hamas, since Oct. 7. Military officials say the number of terror attacks carried out against Israelis in the West Bank has been noticeably low during the past month and a half, in comparison to terror in the region over the past two years. Some 200 West Bank Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since Oct. 7. 60% were armed with either a firearm or an explosive device. Maj. (res.) Arik Pupov, deputy commander of the Samaria Regional Brigade's 8109th Reserve Battalion, said, "since the beginning of the war, our operations have been more intensive," noting that reservist battalions are much larger than standing army battalions. "Because we have a lot of forces from the reservists, we have more freedom to arrest all those who have been wanted for years." The IDF says it has cases against all of those it detains, and would not expend effort on detaining and questioning people who are not suspected of anything. Most of those detained in recent weeks have been Hamas members, while the rest are members of other terror groups or "instigators" involved in rioting. "Because we are in a war, we especially want to keep [the West Bank] a quiet area, and not allow another front to open," Popov said.