Hamas released an unusual video on Wednesday evening that presented clips from attacks in Israel in the early 2000s and the reading of the will of Jafar Muna, the terrorist who carried out the attack in Tel Aviv at the end of August. "Every day that passes, when in the background there is aggression against our people in Gaza, will double the bill of revenge. The only thing in exchange will be blood," he said.
The attack in Tel Aviv, in which a bystander was moderately injured, has not yet been classified as a suicide bombing. However, in the psychological terror video released on Wednesday, the terrorist was recorded saying "I am the fighter from the Al-Qassem Battalion, the living martyr with the help of Allah, Jafar Muna. You (Israel) have lit a fire that will not be extinguished until we remove you from our land with the help of Allah, we have prepared attacks for you. The fire you lit is going to burn you, your settlers, and your army."
IDF operates in the West Bank
(Video: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
At the time, Hamas and Islamic Jihad claimed joint responsibility for the attack, but the defense establishment investigated whether there was another party that sent the terrorist. In a statement issued a day after the explosion, the commander of the Israel Police Tel Aviv District said: "This is not a person who is in our systems or appears in our databases, and the explosive was probably created in the West Bank. It is estimated that the terrorist was supposed to arrive at a certain place, and probably noticed the synagogue. He decided to stop for a moment to prime the explosive, but apparently clicked on something else and activated it."
Since the outbreak of the war, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has been trying to set the West Bank ablaze and, together with Iran, he is pouring a lot of money and weapons into the region. So far, Hamas has not succeeded in dragging the Palestinians into a conflict with Israel and succeeded in creating wide-scale riots and clashes with IDF forces.
The Shin Bet already noticed the trend of explosive device attacks, which mostly originate in the West Bank, and warned the phenomenon is gaining traction thanks to the dual-use of materials such as fertilizer. Suicide attacks, which haven't been used in years, will be an escalation in the war against terrorism. They require recruitment, infrastructure and preparation, raising concerns that Israel is headed to a third intifada.
At the beginning of this month, the defense establishment estimated that although the situation is not hte same as it was in 2002, Israel fears the return of suicide bombings in the heart of Israel, especially before the holidays. Following increased alerts, the Central Command launched its latest operation in the West Bank, focusing on the refugee camps in northern Samaria, Jenin, Tulkarm, Nur al-Shams, and other areas. So far, about 70 terrorists have been killed during the operation, and dozens have been arrested.