Israel Warns Palestinian Authority Against October 7-Style Assault

Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, has warned that Israel could launch what he described as a “full-scale war” against the Palestinian Authority if its security forces or affiliated bodies were believed to be preparing an attack similar to the October 7, 2023 assault by Hamas. Katz said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and he had directed the Israel Defense Forces to prepare for such a scenario. According to his statement, any military campaign would target senior Palestinian Authority officials and security structures, alongside what Israel identifies as militant infrastructure in the occupied West Bank. The warning followed a stabbing incident near Nablus in which an Israeli man was seriously wounded and the Palestinian assailant was subsequently killed by Israeli forces.

Katz said any planned operation could involve establishing lasting Israeli military control over areas where attacks were believed to originate, similar to security zones maintained by Israel in parts of Gaza and southern Lebanon. Netanyahu separately praised the soldiers involved in the response to the stabbing and vowed that Israel would continue pursuing those it considers responsible for attacks. Hamas, meanwhile, called for an escalation of resistance following the incident. The latest threat comes amid heightened violence in the occupied West Bank, where Palestinian attacks and Israeli military operations and settler violence have increased since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023. The Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in parts of the West Bank, has not been accused in the report of carrying out the latest stabbing attack.

#UTVAfrica#