In response to multiple buses exploding in various locations in central Israel on Thursday evening in a terror attack, Transport Minister Miri Regev called to halt all buses, trains, and light rail trains in order to check for further possible explosive devices.
Defense Minister Israel Katz has instructed the IDF to increase the intensity of its operations in the West Bank in Palestinian refugee camps.
"We will pursue the terrorists to the bitter end and destroy the terror infrastructure - those who protect terror will pay a heavy price," Katz said.
"In light of the serious terrorist attacks attempted in the Dan region by Palestinian terror organizations against the civilian population in Israel, I have instructed the IDF to increase the intensity of its operations to thwart terror in the Tulkarm refugee camp and the refugee camps in Judea and Samaria in general," he continued.
Israeli officials and organizations react
The Prime Minister's office announced that they received the update and will shortly conduct a security assessment.
Otzma Yehudit Chairman MK Itamar Ben-Gvir, who served as national security minister before resigning as the Gaza ceasefire deal went into effect in January, attacked the government following the blasts, writing on X: "When the government signs reckless surrender deals with the enemy instead of raining hell on him, he gains an appetite to increase his attempts to murder Jews. These are exactly the prices we warned about!"
"The time for a harsh response has come - immediate action must be taken by the political echelon and the IDF, including exacting a heavy price at the right time, as if it were a high-casualty incident," the mayor of the West Bank settlement, Ariel, said in a statement. "The time has come to destroy the refugee camps."
"Those who make an agreement with terrorists in Qatar should not be surprised by barbaric ceremonies in the morning and buses exploding at night," the Gvura Forum said in a statement on Thursday evening, not long after the police announcement. "Only a change in the security concept and a fight against the terrorist organizations until they are completely destroyed will bring peace and security."
לאירוע האוטובוסים הערב צריך להתייחס כמו מגה פיגוע. אסור שנסתכל על התוצאה - אלא על הכוונה. אסור לחזור על הטעות בפיגוע שנמנע במגידו.לניסיון לרצוח עשרות ישראלים ביום הקשה הזה - חייבים להגיב לא רק בפעולות טקטיות - אלא ביירוט המשלחים ומממני המשלחים באופן ישיר, ושימוש בכלים עוצמתיים…
— בני גנץ - Benny Gantz (@gantzbe) February 20, 2025
"Tonight's bus incident should be treated like a mega-attack." National Unity party chair Benny Gantz wrote on X/Twitter. "To the attempt to murder dozens of Israelis on this difficult day - we must respond not only with tactical actions - but by directly intercepting the senders and the senders' financiers and using powerful tools against the terrorist nests themselves." he continued.
"We must exact a heavy price that the terrorist organizations will not forget." Gantz's tweet concluded.
במשך שישה עשר חודשים שבהם נלחמנו בטרור בכל בחזיתות - בעוצמה, בגבורה ובנחישות - לא איפשרנו לו להרים ראש.כפי שחששנו, שחרור המחבלים ההמוני והפסקת האש מתפרשים על ידי אויבינו כחולשה ומפיחים רוח גבית במפרשי הטרור, שמאיים לשוב ולפוצץ כאן אוטובוסים במרכזי הערים כמו בימי האינתיפאדה…
— בצלאל סמוטריץ' (@bezalelsm) February 20, 2025
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated "Our response must be an immediate return to fighting and systematically crushing terrorism until it is destroyed, in Gaza and Judea and Samaria. We will make sure that this will be the case."
"As we feared, the mass release of terrorists and the ceasefire are interpreted by our enemies as weakness and are giving a tailwind to the terror forces, who are threatening to once again blow up buses in city centers here, as they did during the Second Intifada," Smotrich added.
מי מנהל את האירוע? חיים כץ? ישראל כץ? צריך מנהיגות. צריך תגובה עוצמתית. הטרור לא מחכה. אסור שגם אנחנו נחכה.אלמלא ערנות והמון מזל, הערב הזה היה נגמר אחרת. חמישה מטענים באוטובוסים, בערים מרכזיות. שלושה התפוצצו. אזרחי ישראל זקוקים לביטחון – ומקבלים שוב הפקרות.
— Yair Golan - יאיר גולן (@YairGolan1) February 20, 2025
Democrats chairman MK Yair Golan commented "If it weren't for vigilance and a lot of luck, this evening would have ended differently." adding " Israeli citizens need security – and are getting lawlessness again."