On Monday, Israeli security forces entered the West Bank city of Jenin to arrest members of a terrorist group. They were met not only with gunfire—as is typical during such operations—but also with a large roadside bomb that severely damaged two armored vehicles. In response, the IDF, for the first time since the dark days of the second intifada, sent an Apache helicopter to provide its soldiers with covering fire. Five Palestinians were killed in the fighting, and seven Israelis were wounded. Kobi Michael comments:

The general atmosphere [in the West Bank]—with the lack of governance on the one hand and the expansion of terrorist circles using explosive charges and Iranian-Hizballah involvement on the other—is reminiscent of southern Lebanon in the 1980s. The potential for escalation and spillover has risen, and Israel may find itself in a much wider and more significant round of fighting at a time and under conditions that are not necessarily favorable.

The hornet’s nest of Jenin has become a Palestinian national symbol and another layer in the ethos of Palestinian heroism and resistance. This in turn erodes Israel’s ability to deter, and testifies to the limited relevance of its current modus operandi.

A broad military operation in the Jenin area should be prepared, while encircling and completely isolating [the city] for a limited period of time and entering the area with a large and significant military force for the purpose of dismantling the terrorist infrastructure there and preparing the conditions for the return of the Palestinian Authority to more effective control. The military move must be significant and its results unequivocal, both to neutralize the terrorist infrastructure in the area and to produce the required psychological effect.

The elimination of the terrorist infrastructure in the area must be viewed not only in the Palestinian context. The move will also harm Iranian efforts to undermine stability and security in the region and disrupt the Iranian strategy, which seeks to activate the Palestinian arena as another front against Israel.

Israel’s goals of freeing the hostages and defeating Hamas (the latter necessary to prevent further hostage taking) are to some extent contradictory, since Yahya Sinwar, the ruler of the Gaza Strip, will only turn over hostages in exchange for concessions. But Jacob Nagel remains convinced that Jerusalem should continue to pursue both goals:

Only consistent military pressure on Hamas can lead to the hostages’ release, either through negotiation or military operation. There’s little chance of reaching a deal with Hamas using current approaches, including the latest Egyptian proposal. Israeli concessions would only encourage further pressure from Hamas.

There is no incentive for Hamas to agree to a deal, especially since it believes it can achieve its full objectives without one. Unfortunately, many contribute to this belief, mainly from outside of Israel, but also from within.

Recent months saw Israel mistakenly refraining from entering Rafah for several reasons. Initially, the main [reason was to try] to negotiate a deal with Hamas. However, as it became clear that Hamas was uninterested, and its only goal was to return to its situation before October 7—where Hamas and its leadership control Gaza, Israeli forces are out, and there are no changes in the borders—the deal didn’t mature.