Paratrooper Brigade to leave Gaza Strip and be transferred to the West Bank
The brigade's forces operated over the last three months in the Strip on a mission to defend and clear the 'yellow line' area of terrorist infrastructure. The forces destroyed underground tunnels and located weapons used by Hamas. Against the backdrop of the transfer of forces to Judea and Samaria, Netanyahu conducted a situation assessment amid rising tensions in the region.
The Paratrooper Brigade forces have completed their mission in the Gaza Strip and will be transferred to operate in the Judea and Samaria area, the IDF Spokesperson announced today, Monday.
The brigade's forces, under the command of the Gaza Division and the 99th Division, operated over the last three months in the Gaza Strip on a mission to defend and clear the 'yellow line' area of terrorist infrastructure. During their activity, the forces, in cooperation with the Yahalom unit, destroyed and sealed underground tunnels totaling 13 kilometers in length, including part of the route where the remains of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin were held.
The forces destroyed numerous terrorist infrastructures and located weapons used by Hamas to carry out terror attacks against Israeli citizens and IDF forces, including RPGs, mortar shells, grenades, launchers, and ammunition. In addition, the forces established new routes and outposts as part of the activity to improve the defense concept in the area.
The IDF Spokesperson clarified that forces under the Southern Command are deployed in the area in accordance with the ceasefire outline and will continue to act to remove any immediate threat.
At the same time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a situation assessment at the Central Command regarding the tensions in Judea and Samaria. In the discussion, held with Defense Minister Israel Katz, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, and other senior officials, the situation was presented regarding the threat map, the fight against terrorism, and the growth in settlement.
"The amazing thing is the data presented to us regarding the decrease in the scope of Palestinian terror attacks in Judea and Samaria for the second consecutive year to levels we have never known," said Katz at the end of the meeting.
This comes against the backdrop of numerous clashes recorded recently between settlers and Palestinians. Just last Friday, a violent brawl broke out in the village of Sa'ir between Palestinians and a group of settlers who were hiking in the area — a move that was not coordinated with security forces. A 17-year-old Palestinian was shot dead, a fire was set in a building in the area, and several hikers were injured by stone-throwing.
