Israeli communities bordering West Bank fear new Oct. 7 terror massacre

Israeli border communities adjacent to the green line that separates the Jewish state from the West Bank, fear a new 'Oct. 7' style terror massacre.

The residents of Bat Hefer, a town located in the Hefer Valley near the West Bank city of Tulkarm, say they have heard sounds of explosions and digging under their homes, leading to fears that terrorists are digging attack tunnels.

Gadi Ohayon expressed his concerns about the security situation.

"The situation is really not good," Ohayon said. "We live in a constant state of insecurity; the settlement is targeted with direct and indirect fire almost every day. We can show you pictures of shells from our yards."

"Let's say that one day we receive reports of three to four incidents, then one quiet day, and then another two days with incidents. We hear shootings; we find shells in our yards, in inner houses, not those adjacent to the fence," he added.

Ohayon argued that Israeli border residents feel they are being subjected to psychological terror due to the disturbing activities across the border.

"At night, we wake up from explosions, the enemy really enjoys annoying us during hours when we're all turning right and left in bed, and we feel very helpless," he stated.

Local Israeli residents fear that the Hamas terror organization's Oct.7 massacre has inspired West Bank terrorists to carry out a similar terror attack at some point in the future.

"We feel that any response on our part to these activities that our enemies are trying to carry out against us is treated on a case-by-case basis. We need to understand that what they did on October 7 is a model for what they plan to do," Ohayon warned.

Israel Defense Forces recently uncovered a large underground tunnel close to the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel. The terror group Hamas also has a presence in the West Bank and there are now growing fears that terrorists are preparing to attack Israeli civilians from the area, also known as Judea and Samaria.

"A large part of the residents in the area, especially in our settlements, report noises of digging. A geological survey was carried out by someone from the security system, and the findings were not revealed to us,” a concerned Ohayon stated.

While the Gaza Strip is comparatively far away from Israel’s main population centers, the West Bank is next door to the Jewish state’s main population centers. Only 20 miles west of Bat Hefer is the large Israeli city of Netanya, with around 200,000 residents. Cities located in the Tel Aviv district are also near the Green Line that separates Israel from Judea and Samaria.

“Once they cross the fence of Bat Hefer and the nearby settlements, Kfar Saba, Raanana, Hadera, Netanya, and the entire line will come under fire, up to the sea," Ohayon warned, referring to central Israeli cities situated close to the West Bank.