IDF reports significant drop in West Bank terrorism in 2025

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued an assessment on January 19 indicating a sharp decline in Palestinian-perpetrated terrorist activity in the West Bank in 2025.

Figures published by the IDF’s Central Command, which is responsible for the West Bank and parts of central Israel, highlighted a 78 percent decrease in terrorist incidents in 2025 compared to the previous year. The assessment also recorded an 85 percent decrease in attacks involving firearms.

According to the data, Israeli forces confiscated more than 17 million shekels in funds designated for terrorist activity and seized over eight tons of dual-use materials. In addition, the IDF reported shutting down 17 weapons-manufacturing sites and confiscating 1,370 weapons components.

The IDF said that the reduction in attacks was driven by Operation Iron Wall, launched in January 2025, as well as continuous offensive military activity throughout the year. The campaign included roughly 80 brigade-level operations, during which Israeli forces eliminated hundreds of terrorists and degraded terrorist infrastructure.

Citing IDF figures, The Times of Israel reported that the Israeli military killed 240 Palestinians in the West Bank, a sharp decline from 500 in 2024 and 504 in 2023. According to the IDF, fewer than 4 percent of Palestinians killed in the West Bank over the past three years were uninvolved civilians.

The IDF also reported a shift in the profile of those killed. In 2023 and 2024, roughly 70 percent of Palestinians who were killed were armed with firearms or explosives. In 2025, that figure fell to about 40 percent, with the remainder classified as stone-throwers or other suspects.

Conversely, the IDF reported that attacks on Palestinians by extremist Israelis increased by about 27 percent compared to the previous year, with a corresponding rise in serious cases. Israeli authorities established a joint task force to prevent and investigate violence against Palestinians last May that includes the IDF, police, Border Police, and Shin Bet intelligence agency.

Underscoring sustained counterterrorism activity in the West Bank, the IDF announced on January 19 that it and the Shin Bet had launched a multi-day operation in Hebron “to dismantle terror infrastructure sites, eradicate illegal possession of weapons, and enhance security in the area.”

Compared to Nablus and Jenin in the northern West Bank, Hebron in the southern West Bank has not been a major hub of terrorism since an uptick in violence began in the territory five years ago. That relative calm, however, has shown signs of erosion.

On June 29, 2025, Israeli security forces announced that they had dismantled a Hamas network operating in Hebron that was preparing attacks against targets in both the West Bank and Israel.

According to Israeli authorities, members of the cell had undergone weapons training, learned to manufacture improvised explosive devices, and collected intelligence on potential Israeli targets. The operation resulted in the arrest of more than 60 individuals, some of whom were suspected of being involved in the killing of six people at Bani Naim Junction near Hebron in 2010. Israeli authorities added that they seized 22 firearms and 11 grenades in the operation.

In addition, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) issued several claims of attacks on IDF troops by its Hebron Battalion in the latter half of 2025. On November 19, the group claimed that it had inflicted casualties on IDF infantry during an attack in the town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron, using anti-personnel devices and hand grenades. Weeks later, on December 5, PIJ claimed responsibility for attacking Israeli troops with an “anti-personnel explosive device.” In both incidents, PIJ did not publish evidence to support its claims.

The IDF’s report indicates that sustained Israeli counterterrorism operations in 2025 have been effective. However, the terrorist activity reported in Hebron and other parts of the West Bank suggests that Palestinian terrorist organizations remain intent on rebuilding their capabilities in the territory and conducting attacks.

Joe Truzman is an editor and senior research analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal focused primarily on Palestinian armed groups and non-state actors in the Middle East.