General Information

Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah and Lebanon (July 14–21, 2025)

IDF forces attacked Hezbollah facilities and eliminated operatives as part of continued activity against Hezbollah's presence in south Lebanon in violation of the ceasefire understandings and against the organization’s efforts to renew its arsenal and military capabilities. Radwan Force facilities in the Beqa'a Valley were attacked and Lebanon claimed that 12 people had been killed; Na'im Qassem, Hezbollah secretary general, accused the United States of trying to promote a new agreement which ignored the "thousands of violations" Israel had committed since the beginning of the ceasefire. Hezbollah demanded that Lebanese state institutions put an end to the "useless silence" following the "killing" in the Israeli attacks in the Beqa'a Valley; Thomas Barrack, the American special envoy to Lebanon, met with President Joseph Aoun and was given a new Lebanese response regarding Hezbollah’s disarmament. Barrack said that no progress on the issue would be disappointing, but the United States had no intention of taking punitive measures and only sought to assist and guide. Qassem claimed that relinquishing the weapons would place Lebanon and the "resistance" in existential danger and "allow ISIS to take over the country."; Iran reportedly successfully transfers weapons to Hezbollah through Iraq and Syria using small vehicles instead of large trucks, and the organization also manufactures its own unmanned aerial vehicles and medium-range missiles; A new directive from the Bank of Lebanon, Lebanon's central bank, bans any ties with the al-Qard al-Hassan Association, Hezbollah’s economic wing, due to American sanctions and the Association's financing of terrorism. Hezbollah condemned the decision, and al-Qard al-Hassan said it was continuing its operations and opening additional branches; The Palestinian national security forces reported that they had begun handing over the weapons at some of their headquarters in Lebanon in accordance with the directive of Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas. However, a senior operative in one of the armed "factions" in the refugee camps said that it was unrealistic to ask the Palestinians to disarm without guarantees for their security in light of the "complex" regional situation.
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Spotlight on the Israel-Palestinian Conflict (August 20-27 , 2024)

IDF forces continued fighting in the southern and central Gaza Strip, expanding their activity in Khan Yunis and Deir al-Balah. The Palestinian terrorist organizations continued firing rockets into Israeli territory, including the central part of the country. Seven IDF soldiers were killed in combat; Israeli security forces rescued an Israeli hostage who was being held in a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip. The Hamas delegation left Cairo after another round of talks in an attempt to reach an agreement for a ceasefire and the release of hostages. Hamas accused Israel of making new demands; More than 1.2 million doses of polio vaccine arrived in the Gaza Strip in preparation for a mass drive to vaccinate children up to the age of ten. Israel, Judea and Samaria: This past week Palestinian terrorists carried out three attacks. An IDF soldier was injured in a vehicle ramming near Ariel. IEDs exploded near Avni Hefetz and Tekoa; there were no casualties. The Israeli security forces continued counterterrorism activities in Judea and Samaria; Preparations continued to advance Mahmoud Abbas' initiative to visit the Gaza Strip.
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Spotlight on the Israel-Palestinian Conflict (August 13 – 20 , 2024)

IDF forces continued their activity in the Rafah area in the southern Gaza Strip and the Netzarim Corridor in the central Gaza Strip, expanding their activities in Khan Yunis and Deir al-Balah. The Palestinian organizations continued firing rockets into Israeli territory, including targeting the center of the country. Three IDF soldiers were killed in combat; Israeli security forces rescued the bodies of six Israeli hostages from a tunnel in Khan Yunis. Efforts to promote a ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages continued, while senior Hamas figures continued to accuse Israel of making new demands; The UN called for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to allow children to be vaccinated against polio. The Hamas-controlled ministry of health in Gaza claimed to have identified the first active case of the virus; Israel, Judea and Samaria: This past week Palestinian terrorists carried out two attacks, murdering one Israeli civilian and wounding another. An Israeli citizen was injured when an IED exploded in Tel Aviv. Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the "suicide attack." In an attack in an industrial area in Samaria, an Israeli citizen was killed by a hammer-wielding Palestine. The Israeli security forces continued their counterterrorism activities in Judea and Samaria; A Palestinian was killed when dozens of Jewish settlers rioted in the village of Jit in Samaria; PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas visited Turkey and met with President Erdogan. He gave a speech to the Turkish Parliament, announcing his intention to visit the Gaza Strip with senior Palestinian figures.
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Spotlight on the Israel-Palestinian Conflict (August 6 – 13 , 2024)

The operatives of Hamas' military wing swore allegiance to Yahya al-Sinwar after his appointment as the new head of the Hamas movement's political bureau. Discussions continue on the selection of a deputy. According to reports, al-Sinwar is still involved in the negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of the hostages from his hideout in the Gaza Strip; This past week IDF forces focused their activity on the Rafah and Khan Yunis regions, attacking terrorist facilities operated by Hamas in civilian compounds and exposing tunnels and weapons. Palestinian terrorists continued firing rockets at Israeli territory; The leaders of the United States, Egypt and Qatar issued a joint statement calling for finalizing the negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of the hostages. Hamas claims it has shown flexibility in the negotiations, while efforts are being made to convince the movement to participate in the talks expected to take place on August 15, 2024; An UNRWA spokeswoman said that the agency continued to provide humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip and operated more than a hundred medical sites; Israel, Judea and Samaria: This past week Palestinian terrorists carried out two attacks, murdering an Israeli civilian and wounding two others. The Israeli security forces continued their counterterrorism activities in Judea and Samaria; The PA chairman met in Russia with Vladimir Putin. The PA petitioned the International Criminal Court for arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister and defense minister. Turkey announced it was joining the lawsuit against Israel in the International Court of Justice.
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Spotlight on the Israel-Palestinian Conflict (July 31 – August 6 , 2024)

Isma'il Haniyeh, head of Hamas' political bureau, was killed in an attack in Tehran; he was buried in Qatar. Senior Hamas figures said killing him would not alter the movement's path. The Hamas leadership held consultations to choose his successor. "Sources" stated the movement would resume negotiations for a ceasefire after a new leader had been elected; This past week IDF forces focused their activity on the Rafah area in the southern Gaza Strip and the Netzarim Corridor in the central Gaza Strip. They attacked Hamas terrorist facilities operating in civilian compounds and exposed tunnels and weapons. There was an increase in rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, an Israeli civilian was injured; The IDF confirmed that Muhammed Deif, the commander of Hamas' military wing, was killed in an airstrike in Khan Yunis; Hamas did not issue a confirmation. the IDF continued to target terrorist operatives in the Gaza Strip, including those involved in smuggling and operatives who participated in the Hamas terrorist attack and massacre on October 7 2023; A UN investigation determined that there was evidence indicating the possible involvement of nine UNRWA employees in the October 7, 2023 attack, and announced their dismissal. Israel, Judea and Samaria: This past week Palestinian terrorist operatives carried out three attacks, murdering two Israelis and injuring four others. A Palestinian terrorist stabbed two civilians to death and wounded two others in Holon, and a female Border Police fighter was stabbed at the Tunnel roadblock. An Israeli civilian was injured in a combined shooting and stabbing attack near Kiryat Arba. The Israeli security forces continued their counterterrorism activities in Judea and Samaria, killing nine terrorist operatives in two airstrikes in Tulkarm, and at least five in two airstrikes in Jenin.
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Spotlight on the Israel-Palestinian Conflict (July 23 – 30 , 2024)

This past week IDF operations focused on the areas of Khan Yunis and Rafah in southern Gaza Strip. The forces also attacked Hamas facilities in civilian compounds. Two IDF soldiers were killed in combat. The Palestinian organizations continued firing rockets at Israeli territory,no casualties were reported; IDF forces rescued the bodies of five Israeli hostages killed by Hamas and held by since October 7, 2023, kept in a tunnel in the humanitarian area of Khan Yunis. Hamas claimed that Israel had set new demands for the negotiations; The World Health Organization announced it would send more than one million doses of polio vaccine to the Gaza Strip; Senior Fatah figure Muhammad Dahlan denied a report that he would head a Palestinian security force which would enter the Gaza Strip after the withdrawal of the IDF forces; Israel, Judea and Samaria: Palestinian terrorists carried out two shooting attacks this past week, wounding four IDF soldiers. The Israeli security forces continued their counterterrorism activities in Judea and Samaria. Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives tried and failed to launch rockets into Israeli territory from Tulkarm. The Palestinian security forces attempted to detain wanted terrorists and clashed with armed operatives; The Palestinians condemned Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech before Congress.
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General Information

For decades, the Palestinian terrorist organizations have waged a vicious war against the State of Israel, starting in the 1920s and 1930s, causing untold bloodshed. Their mass-casualty suicide bombing attacks claimed hundreds of victims. After the Six Day War, Palestinian terrorism accelerated and the number of terrorist attacks in Israel and abroad against Jewish and Israeli targets increased.

During the 1970s, planes were hijacked by terrorists from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.  After the Black September events (the removal of terrorists from Jordan in 1970), most prominent were terrorist attacks abroad carried out by a terrorist group from the Fatah organization calling itself Black September. Those attacks culminated in 1972, when 11 Israeli sportsmen were murdered at the Munich Olympics. Trans-border terrorist attacks were also carried out (attacks from Jordan until 1970 and attacks from the Lebanese border in the 1970s), some of them targeting Israeli civilians. In the 1990s, suicide bombing attacks became the main form of struggle carried out by the Palestinians, first by the radical Islamic organizations, primarily Hamas, and later also by secular organizations such as Fatah. 


There was a significant increase in terrorist attacks during the Palestinian terrorist campaign of 2000-2005 (known as the Al-Aqsa or Second Intifada), during which a great many attacks were carried out, including many suicide bombing attacks which disrupted daily life in Israel and threatened its large cities. The second half of 2015 and early 2016 witnessed a wave of terror characterized by lone-wolf attacks, mainly stabbing, vehicular and shooting attacks.