Israel Threatens ‘Full-Scale War’ Against Palestinian Authority 

Israel on Monday threatened a “full-scale war” against the Palestinian Authority if it were to prepare an attack against Israeli forces or settlements similar to the October 7, 2023, assault launched by Hamas from Gaza.

The threat by Defence Minister Israel Katz followed a stabbing attack in the northern occupied West Bank, where the Israeli military said it shot and killed the Palestinian assailant.

Katz said Israel would respond with a major military campaign if the Palestinian Authority’s security forces or related bodies were found to be preparing an attack against Israeli troops or Jewish settlements.

He said the operation, ordered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and himself, would target the senior leadership and security structures of the Palestinian Authority, based in Ramallah, as well as what Israel describes as terrorist infrastructure across the West Bank.

According to Katz, the campaign would include targeted killings of senior figures, the evacuation of residents from areas where attacks are carried out and the establishment of a permanent Israeli military presence.

He said the operation would be modelled on Israeli “security zones” currently maintained in Gaza and southern Lebanon.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it killed a Palestinian assailant who stabbed an Israeli settler in the northern West Bank on Monday.

Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service said the settler, a man in his 20s, was taken to the hospital in moderate to serious condition with multiple stab wounds.

Prime Minister Netanyahu praised the soldiers involved in the incident, saying Israel would continue to pursue those behind attacks and dismantle what he described as terrorist infrastructure in the West Bank.

Hamas, in response to the attack, called for an escalation of resistance against Israeli soldiers and settlers.

The October 7, 2023, Hamas attack killed more than 1,200 people in Israel and saw 251 hostages taken into Gaza, according to Israeli figures.

Israel’s subsequent military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians, according to the territory’s health ministry.