IDF and Shin Bet Arrest Over 60 PFLP Operatives in West Bank and Lebanon

In a significant counterterrorism operation, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Shin Bet security agency announced on Tuesday the arrest of over 60 operatives from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The arrests were conducted during coordinated operations in the West Bank and Lebanon.

Among those detained in the West Bank is Abla Sa'adat, the head of the Women's Committees Association of the PFLP and wife of Ahmad Sa'adat, the PFLP leader who has been imprisoned in Israel since 2006. Another notable figure arrested is Tahrir Badran Gaber, an activist from Ramallah.

The Women's Committees Association of the PFLP has been designated as a terrorist organization by Israel. The IDF and Shin Bet stated that key figures serving as heads of the PFLP in the West Bank were among those apprehended, along with operatives actively involved in the organization's field activities.

Additionally, students at West Bank universities who are active members of PFLP cells were detained. Offices and businesses associated with the group were raided and closed, including a printing press that produced inflammatory materials for the PFLP.

The IDF and Shin Bet also noted ongoing operations against the PFLP in Lebanon following the killing of a PFLP commander at the end of September. According to Israeli authorities, Nidal Abd al-Aal was involved in planning and promoting terror attacks in the West Bank.

IDF Announces West Bank Airstrike; PA Reports Casualties

On Tuesday, at least four individuals were killed during an IDF raid and airstrikes in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Authority's (PA) health ministry. The military operation targeted an armed terror cell in the Qabatiya area near Jenin.

The PA ministry and Palestinian media reported that two people were killed in an airstrike on a vehicle in Qabatiya and two others died in a confrontation with troops in Tammun, north of Nablus. The Maan news agency claimed that an earlier drone attack in Tammun involved multiple missiles but caused no injuries.

An initial IDF statement confirmed the airstrike in the Qabatiya area but did not provide further details. The operation reportedly included a gun battle between Israeli troops and local operatives.

Ongoing Security Measures

Since October 7, Israeli forces have arrested approximately 5,250 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including over 2,050 affiliated with Hamas. According to the PA's health ministry, more than 716 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank during this period. The IDF states that the majority were gunmen killed in exchanges of fire, rioters who clashed with troops, or individuals carrying out attacks.

During the same timeframe, 41 people, including Israeli security personnel, have been killed in terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank. An additional six members of the security forces were killed in clashes with terror operatives in the West Bank.