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The Israeli military and police forces have discovered the largest arms cache in Judea and Samaria (West Bank) in years, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit reported on Wednesday.
The cache, which was uncovered in a village close to the Palestinian Authority capital Ramallah, reportedly included explosives, various rifles, pistols, a hand grenade, thousands of rounds of ammunition and a remote detonation device. It also contained gold jewelry and cash that would likely have been intended for financing various terrorist attacks.
Israeli authorities arrested 12 Palestinian suspects amid growing concerns about terror attacks during the Muslim holiday of Ramadan this month, according to an IDF statement.
The Israel Police West Bank District Commander Moshe Pinchi explained that highly accurate intelligence enabled the forces to locate the large arms cache.
“Binyamin station, acting on precise intelligence, located two apartments used as weapons depots. Our district works around the clock to prevent attacks in Judea and Samaria and inside Israel,” Pinchi said.
While the operation was successful, the senior police officer warned that any weapon that reaches terrorists and criminals threatens Israeli security.
“Any weapon that isn’t seized can easily end up in the hands of criminals and can all be used for terrorism. We work in full cooperation with the IDF and Shin Bet, which leads to these results,” he added.
Lt.-Col. A., commander of the IDF troops that carried out the operation, explained the difference between the arms cache and previous discoveries in Judea and Samaria.
“The difference from previous caches found is the sheer quantity and the presence of explosives.”
The Iranian regime and the Hamas terrorist organization play a central role in escalating anti-Israel terrorism across Judea and Samaria.
Last March, Israeli forces prevented a “game-changing” Iranian weapons shipment from reaching terrorists based in the West Bank.
“Shin Bet, in cooperation with the other security branches, takes the involvement in terror activities directed by Iran and its affiliates very seriously and will continue to take active steps to monitor and thwart any activity that endangers the security of the State of Israel and its citizens,” Israeli intelligence stated at the time.
Hamas, which is backed by Iran, has tried to escalate terrorism in Judea and Samaria as a tool to undermine its Palestinian Authority (PA) rival.
Weakened in Gaza by Israeli military operations, Hamas and its Iranian backers have increasingly sought to establish a new front against Israel in Judea and Samaria.
Last November, Israeli forces prevented a large Iranian-led arms smuggling operation in Judea and Samaria. However, Israeli community leaders still fear that terrorists are planning to carry out a potential Oct. 7-style terror attack against Israelis in the area.
Last December, Yisrael Gantz, chairman of the Yesha Council and head of the Binyamin Regional Council warned that a single missile could potentially threaten planes at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, which is located close to the green line that separates Israel from Judea and Samaria.
“Even a single missile that may have been successfully smuggled into the country, which we are unaware of and is hidden in someone’s home, is enough to put every plane landing at Ben Gurion Airport at risk,” Gantz stated .
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