The IDF has evacuated about 40,000 Palestinians from the northern West Bank since January 21, the most in decades, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Sunday.
It was a stunning admission given that the IDF has repeatedly denied reports attesting to that by The New York Times and CNN in recent weeks.
Military sources on Sunday contradicted Katz. They told the Jerusalem Post he was using unreliable data from UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East).
IDF sources gave the Post the first actual IDF estimate, which the military had failed to share in recent weeks despite repeated requests, saying 13,000 to 14,000 Palestinians have been evacuated during the operation centering around Jenin, Tulkarm, Nur a-Shams, Tubas, Kabatiya, and other parts of northern Samaria.
IDF sources indicated they had been blindsided by Katz’s statement and did not know he was going to stake out such a provocative position until they saw the statement in the media.
Unlike the IDF, which had said the Palestinian civilians were not forced to leave and would be allowed back to their homes soon, Katz said Israel “will not allow the return of the [Palestinian] residents or for terrorism to return to flourish.”
Last Thursday night, Palestinian terrorists, likely from the Tulkarm area, attempted to blow up five buses in the Bat Yam area. Various smart moves and luck prevented the attacks from taking place as planned, and there were no casualties.
Katz appeared to be trying to impress the more right-wing side of the public with how tough Israel is on the Palestinians in the West Bank following the attempted terrorist attack.
His statement came shortly after the IDF confirmed it was using more tanks and more aggressive methods in the West Bank than it has employed in decades.
Using tanks is an aggressive move that could potentially lead to more explosive battles between the IDF and Palestinian terrorists, but it does not violate international law.
In contrast, many observers have said if Israel has evacuated 40,000 Palestinians and prevents them from returning to their homes for any significant period of time, this could constitute a war crime before the International Criminal Court. The ICC already issued arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant relating to the conduct of the Israel-Hamas War.
Later on Sunday, Katz’s office did not respond to questions about why his remarks contradicted the IDF on those issues.
Katz reiterated in a speech on Sunday night at a ceremony for an IDF officers’ course that Israel would prevent large numbers of Palestinian civilians from returning to villages where there were suspicions that terrorist activity had not yet been rooted out.
He also repeated recent statements that soldiers would remain for an indefinite period in certain areas, such as parts of Jenin, where they have not had extended stays in decades.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s office had not responded to a query regarding the disagreement between Katz and the IDF as of press time.
The IDF did not issue a public statement on the issue on Sunday.
Demilitarize Syria
Meanwhile, Netanyahu on Sunday demanded that southern Syria be demilitarized. Israel would not accept the presence of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in southern Syria, nor of any other forces affiliated with the country’s new regime, he said.
After HTS took control of Damascus on December 7-8, ending about 50 years of rule by the Assad family, Netanyahu ordered the IDF to enter and create a buffer zone in southern Syria.
Israel would maintain the buffer zone as long as necessary, he said. In the past, he had said until the end of 2025, and other defense sources have said Israel could remain there for years.
“We will not allow forces of the HTS or the new Syrian army to enter the territory south of Damascus,” Netanyahu said at the same officers’ ceremony with Katz. “We demand full demilitarization of southern Syria in the provinces of Quneitra, Daraa, and Sweida... and we will not tolerate any threat to the Druze sect in southern Syria.”
Ahmed al-Shara’a, Syria’s new leader, has on several occasions pledged to abide by the 1974 Israel-Syria armistice, while also demanding the IDF withdraw from Syria.
There are signs that the European Union may pressure Israel to withdraw, but the Trump administration has given complete backing to Israel’s presence there.
Almost all democratic countries are waiting to see whether Shara’a will integrate more with the West and run his country democratically or whether he will regress to his past as a member of al-Qaeda.
IDF attacks Hezbollah in Lebanon
Meanwhile, the IDF on Sunday carried out a precise strike on rocket launchers in southern Lebanon that Hezbollah operatives were working with.
According to the ceasefire, Hezbollah is not allowed to have a presence in southern Lebanon, nor is it allowed to store or move weapons there, even if it is not planning on imminently using them.
“These activities of the Hezbollah terrorist organization are in violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon and pose a threat to the State of Israel and its civilians,” the IDF said.
Later on Sunday, the IDF said it had struck military sites that contained rocket launchers in the Baalbek area, about 100 km. into Lebanon.
This came hours before the funeral for former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Dahiyeh, a Shi’ite suburb of Beirut.
Katz later said IDF jets had flown above Beirut amid preparations for the event to send a message of what can happen to Hezbollah leaders who seek to fight Israel.
On Sunday evening, the IDF carried out airstrikes against Hezbollah weapons in southern Lebanon.
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.