Israeli intelligence thwarted over 1,000 major terror attacks in Jerusalem, Judea & Samaria in 2024

Israel's domestic intelligence agency, Shin Bet, foiled approximately 1,040 large-scale terror attacks in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria in 2024, according to its annual report published on Tuesday. Of these, 326 cases involved explosive devices, nine car rammings, 13 stabbings, one kidnapping and two suicide bombing attacks.

Shin Bet, formally known as the Israel Security Agency, reported that it has interrogated over 650 terrorist suspects from the Gaza Strip. This number includes 40 senior commanders of terrorist groups, 45 individuals suspected of involvement in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack in southern Israel, and 100 others believed to have information about the whereabouts of Israeli hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. While the vast majority of the terrorists were located in Gaza, and Judea and Samaria (internationally known as the West Bank), Shin Bet also exposed about 20 terrorist cells within Israel's Arab community.

The Shin Bet report also noted a 400% increase in espionage-linked cases in 2024 among Israeli citizens, compared to the previous year. Israeli security thwarted at least 13 espionage cases in 2024, involving both Arab and Jewish Israelis in Iranian-led spying operations against the state.

The overwhelming majority of those cases involved the Iranian regime, which actively recruits Israeli citizens to spy and gather intelligence on behalf of Tehran's interests.

Iran has openly called for the destruction of the Jewish state. It is the main sponsor of anti-Israel terror proxies in the Middle East, such as Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.

In October, Israeli intelligence busted an Iranian-led spy network, which included a couple from the central Israeli town of Lod and several other individuals. Iran reportedly paid the couple $26,000 to recruit Israelis with a background in the Caucasus region to carry out various missions against the State of Israel.

“The defendants committed security offenses at a time when the State of Israel is waging one of the worst wars it has ever known, on many fronts, including Iran,” the State Attorney said. “They were aware that they were agents, elements hostile to the State of Israel, and yet they continued to cooperate with them.”

Israeli intelligence also played a central role during the hostage rescue operations in Gaza in 2024. Shin Bet worked alongside the Israeli military in searching for and eliminating senior Hamas terrorists, including its military commander Mohammed Deif and its top leader, Yahya Sinwar, who was killed during an exchange of fire in the southern Gazan town of Rafah in October 2024.

Hamas has actively attempted to escalate anti-Israel terrorism in Judea and Samaria, undermining the Palestinian Authority (PA) that controls the area. The terrorist cells have been largely concentrated in northern Samaria, especially in Jenin and Nablus.

Last April, Hamas’ political rival Fatah, which controls the PA, condemned Iran for spreading violence and chaos across Judea and Samaria.

Despite Iran’s efforts to destabilize the region, Israeli intelligence noted a significant decrease in terror attacks in Judea and Samaria in 2024. Israeli security forces registered 254 terror attacks in 2024 compared to 847 cases in 2023.

The Palestinian Authority reported that 835 Palestinian Arabs were killed by Israeli forces in Judea and Samaria in 2024. While there were isolated incidents of Jewish terrorism in the settlements, the IDF stressed that the majority of those killed were armed terrorists involved in exchanges of fire or individuals who had carried out attacks.

Forty-three Israelis, including security operatives, were reportedly killed in Judea and Samaria during the same period.