A dramatic change has recently been made in the open-fire regulations, which have been eased in order to act very aggressively against terrorists who try to enter the perimeter fence.
Golani Forces Activity in the Judea and Samaria Division // IDF Spokesperson's Archive
IDF sources confirmed to Israel Hayom that due to the security situation, the understanding is that anyone who reaches the fence area is liable to be a terrorist, and therefore the procedures have been tightened.
On Friday two weeks ago, a few days after the massacre near the Gaza Strip, a day of rage was held in Judea and Samaria, which included significant riots by the Palestinians. IDF and Border Police forces acted with exceptional aggressiveness on the ground, including a number of terrorists who tried to penetrate the perimeter fence near Tulkarm and were shot and killed.
Day of Rage in Judea and Samaria, photo: AFP
The IDF decided, as part of the conclusions drawn from the Hamas invasion, that there would be no tolerance for Palestinians who try to provoke and reach the fence, whether in mass riots of one kind or another.
The Palestinians have been reporting on Telegram and Twitter groups in recent days that the IDF has indeed changed its procedures substantially, and are shooting anyone who reaches the fence, they say. "To come out today in solidarity with our brothers in Gaza is life-threatening. The occupation forces are not showing any patience or proportionality, there have already been a large number of incidents of live fire at people who just approached the fence - this is something we have never seen before," a statement was distributed to Arab groups that was also later translated into Hebrew.
Riots in Huwara, photo: Arab networks
IDF sources confirm that there is a change in policy, but do not elaborate on the matter for obvious reasons. It should be noted that since the beginning of the fighting, the army has made it clear that the war against Hamas is not only in Gaza, but also in Judea and Samaria, and is being waged in a very aggressive manner. More than 100 terrorists were killed in Judea and Samaria during the three weeks, and yesterday a remotely manned aircraft attack was carried out against terrorists in the Jenin area, something that has not been done frequently so far.
Ayush Division Commander Brigadier General Avi Blut met this week with security officers and heads of Judea and Samaria councils in the shadow of an "iron swords" war and clarified that the IDF had taken off the gloves in our war against Hamas in Judea and Samaria as well: "We are at war against Hamas - ISIS. Our first consideration is first and foremost in defense and we will do everything to keep the residents safe, especially during these difficult times. Open dialogue is important and only together will we win! We are aggressive, do not contain incidents but contain them, and beyond defense, we are acting in a significant way to thwart terrorism. We took off the gloves in our war against Hamas, including in the West Bank," he said.
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us