Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday that counterterrorism operations in Judea and Samaria are set to expand, following a weekend marked by Palestinian terror attacks.
“In addition to the operations currently underway, similar measures are now being considered,” Katz said during the weekly Cabinet meeting. He added that security forces are identifying “where terrorist activity is being organized and where we need to strike” to prevent further attacks.
Two Israelis were killed and several others injured in a series of terror attacks over the weekend.
On Thursday, an Israeli farmer, Itamar Cohen, was stabbed by a Palestinian while trying to put out a fire near the Derech Avraham farm in Samaria. Authorities have not ruled out the possibility that the fire was deliberately set by Palestinians.
On Friday, a group of at least 60 Israelis hikers in Samaria were attacked by stone-throwing Palestinians near the Palestinian village of Tell. One hiker was injured and the group called the army and left the area. About an hour later, the group said they were surrounded by a larger group of Palestinians near Havat Gilad. Two armed civilian guards and a soldier failed to push the crowd back, and a Palestinian grabbed one of the guards’ rifles, opening fire. Two soldiers were killed, and several others were injured.
The two Israelis killed were Master Sgt. Benayahu Mellet, 32, a member of a civil defence squad and an army reservist from Yitzhar, and Maj. Yuval Ezra, 27, from Herzliya. Four Palestinians were also killed in the clash.
The IDF said the hikers did not coordinate their activity with the military.
Israeli security forces outside the Palestinian village of Tell following a deadly clash between Israeli hikers and Palestinians on July 24, 2026. Photo by Nadav Goldstein/TPS-IL
On Saturday afternoon, an off-duty soldier tending sheep near Susya in the Hebron region was attacked by a Palestinian who knocked him unconscious and stole his weapon before fleeing. Following a manhunt, security forces arrested the Palestinian and recovered the weapon that night. The shepherd, 25, was hospitalised in moderate condition.
Overnight Saturday, attacks by Jews on Palestinian communities damaged two mosques, a home and multiple vehicles by fire, while graffiti reading “revenge” was found at several sites.