Israel Police's Lowlands division conducted training exercises and security assessments throughout Israel's Northwest in recent weeks. These precautions are due to the ongoing warnings of possible Palestinian terrorist infiltrations into Jewish settlements within the region.
Since the infiltration of Hamas terrorists into Israeli territory on October 7, police units have been preparing for any possible scenario of high-risk terrorist attacks. This comes following previous reports that under Hamas's original plan, attacks would occur beyond Gaza but throughout the West Bank as well, perpetrated by local terror cells and allies.
Jenin as a hotbed for terrorism
Jenin, located in the northwestern part of the West Bank, has become, in recent years, a hotbed for terrorist activity. The IDF and Shin Bet killed a Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist in Jenin in a drone strike in late February en route to committing a shooting attack likely on Israeli forces.
In January, three Palestinian men were killed in a hospital by Israeli commandos, with one being a member of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
As of last week, over 3,500 terror suspects have been arrested or killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank, with many affiliated with Hamas and other terrorist groups, since Operation Swords of Iron began.
Avi Daniel, Commander of Israel Police's Lowland Region, discussed the readiness of the security forces if a possible infiltration occurs, saying, "We are exceptionally strong and prepared for any scenario and intrusion."
"We are exceptionally strong and prepared for any scenario and intrusion"
Avi Danieli, Commander of Israel Police's Lowlands Region
Timur Yagudaev, commander of the Israel Police Special Patrol Unit (Yasam) in the Lowlands district, stated that "following the events on October 7, we learned our lessons and understood that events could be in multiple locations with many injured with Magen David Adom (MDA) not being able to reach them.
By building a week of operational and tactical medicine capabilities, we will be able to save the lives of wounded soldiers and civilians until their evacuation to a hospital."
These exercise drills are held to ensure the readiness of all security and healthcare personnel in case of a possible attack on a Jewish settlement while being prepared for the worst-case scenario.
Yasam district fighters from the Valleys, Sharon, and Tel Aviv regions took part in the exercise drill, as did members from MDA, the emergency standby squad of the Gadish settlement, and the sabotage unit of the Israeli police. One of the possible scenarios conducted in the exercises included an infiltration into an Israeli settlement along the Green Line with the possibility of taking control over Israeli citizens.