2022 deadliest year for Israelis, Palestinians in years

Data from the Israel Security Agency, Shin Bet, show that 2022 was among the most lethal for both Israelis and Palestinians in recent years. 

Palestinian terrorists killed 31 people in Israel and injured more than 129 in terror attacks this year. Additionally, terrorists killed three Israel Defense Forces soldiers and one officer from the Israel Police this year.

By comparison, 29 people were killed in terror attacks in 2015 during Israel’s last large terror wave, which consisted mainly of stabbings, shootings and car ramming attacks.

Israel recorded more than 2,200 terrorist attacks inside Israel and the West Bank in 2022. Most of this year’s terrorist attacks took place in the Tel Aviv area and nearby cities, as well as in Judea and Samaria. Additionally, four people were killed in Beersheva, four in Jerusalem and two in the city of Hadera. 

The Palestinian Authority Health Ministry said that 167 Palestinians were killed this year, while the IDF claims the number is 151 – the majority while they were carrying out attacks or clashing with Israeli security forces during counter-terrorism operations.

Israel's counter-terrorism operation “Break the Wave” began earlier this year after 19 people in Israel were killed in Palestinian terror attacks. These counter-terrorism efforts have been localized in Jenin and Nablus – two West Bank cities from where most of the attackers have come. 

Terrorist conglomerate Lion’s Den in Nablus has been a central focus of the “Break the Wave” operation and, according to the IDF, another 25% of the Jenin refugee camp is affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group.

The IDF’s anti-terror efforts have led to violent clashes with Palestinian gunmen, resulting in the highest Palestinian death toll since 2006, when 220 Palestinians were reported killed. 

Palestinian gunmen continue to shoot at military posts, IDF troops operating along the security barrier, civilians in Israeli settlements and commuters on the roads. According to the IDF, there were around 300 shooting attacks against Israelis – both civilians and soldiers – in Judea and Samaria this year, many of them taking place when Israeli security forces entered Palestinian towns and cities to arrest terrorist suspects.

By comparison, there were just 91 shooting attacks last year.  

The Israeli anti-terrorism effort has also led to the deaths of innocent victims, such as Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh, a 51-year-old Palestinian-American reporter, who was shot during clashes between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians in Jenin in May, which she was covering for the Qatari television network. 

Earlier this month, Al Jazeera brought the case of her death before the International Criminal Court, claiming in a statement that it had evidence that the IDF had “deliberately killed” her, a claim that Israel rejects. 

In December, the IDF acknowledged that one of its soldiers accidentally shot dead a 16-year-old Palestinian girl, Jana Majdi Assam Zakarna, during a clash between the IDF and Palestinian gunmen in Jenin. The IDF has apologized for Zakarna’s death and expressed regret for Abu Akleh’s death.

The IDF’s ongoing counter-terrorist operation has led to more than 2,500 arrests and thwarted around 500 potential terror attacks, the IDF said at the end of November. 

According to the IDF, at least 250 weapons and $785,000 (2.7 million shekels) in cash – which were supposedly meant for terrorist operations – were seized in the IDF’s anti-terrorist operations.