IDF Review Shows Spike in Yehudah and Shomron-Based Terror in 2022

The IDF’s annual review shows a record number of terror activities that emanated from Yehudah and Shomron in 2022.

According to the report, 285 shooting attacks occurred in Yehudah and Shomron over the past year, compared to 61 in 2021 and 31 in 2020. Some 31 people lost their lives in Palestinian terror attacks in 2022, Hy”d.

In order to tackle the growing trend of violence in Yehudah and Shomron, 41 reserve battalions were called up this year, and the number is expected to increase in 2023.

MK Itamar Ben-Gvir is set to claim authority over 16 Border Police companies in Yehudah and Shomron, which were previously under IDF’s responsibility, as part of his position as National Security Minister.

This reform will require the IDF to reinforce its presence in the region, following a year in which it already was employing thousands of reserves from 41 battalions through emergency drafts to maintain order.

Not including the additions that will have to be made after Ben-Gvir’s policies are put in place, the upcoming year is set to see at least 66 reserve battalions being called up to Yehudah and Shomron. Aside from reinforcing the security in the area, the reserves would allow for the active duty soldiers to train and prepare for conflicts on other fronts.

Throughout 2022, NIS 2.8 million of terror money was confiscated in the territory of the Palestinian Authority, as opposed to 11.3 million in 2021.

Additionally, 2,672 Palestinians were arrested by security forces, in comparison to 2,800 in 2021 and 2,000 and 2020.

Among the 31 Israelis who lost their lives to Palestinian terrorism, 24 of them were civilians, in comparison to four civilian deaths in 2021 and three in 2020.

This year, the IDF worked to fix and secure 16 of the 700 kilometers of the perimeter fence around Yehudah and Shomron, at a cost of NIS 40 million.

In the coming months, this project is expected to expand to an additional 40 kilometers and monitors are set to be installed into the fence, which will reduce the number of troops necessary to guard it.

In addition, in 2022 the IDF managed to reduce the number of illegal entrances to Israel, from some 80,000 weekly to only several hundreds.

On the Gazan front, however, things have been much quieter this year. The IDF attacked 257 targets in the Strip throughout 2022, most of which were during Operation Breaking Dawn, in August.

According to the IDF data, the number of rockets that were launched from Gaza in the months following Operation Breaking Dawn stands at only three – a record low number in comparison to periods following similar operations in the past.