Two serious security incidents occurred in the past 24 hours (Monday) in the area of the village of Shweika near Tulkarm - opposite the settlement of Bat Hefer in the Hefer Valley.
According to IDF Radio, in the morning hours, about 30 soldiers crossed the separation fence, which was connected to the village with ropes.
After identifying the crossing, army forces rushed to the scene and arrested 19 members of the Sheba group who were without weapons or other dangerous paraphernalia, and two additional Israeli Arabs suspected of aiding the group.
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11 others from the group managed to cross the obstacle - and disappeared.
The army said there is no fear of a security incident and the matter is under investigation.
About 30 Palestinians crossed the separation wall this morning from the village of Shweika in the Tulkarm area towards the settlement of Bat Hefer. Security forces arrested 19 of them, including 2 additional Israeli Arabs suspected of aiding the group.@hod_barel @Doron_Kadosh pic.twitter.com/Z6PIkHtW8r
— GLZ (@GLZRadio) May 27, 2024
The terrorist organization Hamas released a video today showing masked terrorists firing automatic weapons at the settlement of Bat Hefer.
In the footage they released, the two terrorists are seen wearing a green Hamas headband and a photo of the weapons they used. No casualties are known to have been reported as a result of the shooting.
Hamas said that the shooting was carried out in response to an attack carried out by the IDF in Rafah last night, in which two senior officials in the West Bank headquarters, who coordinated the terrorist organization's activities in Judea and Samaria, were killed.
Terrorists fire at Bat Hefer pic.twitter.com/8vXFjqLOob
— Bazz news (@1717Bazz) May 27, 2024
Doron Kadosh, the military correspondent for Galei Tzahal, wrote about crossing the separation wall:
""A serious incident that once again illustrates the difficulty of protecting hundreds of kilometers of seam in Judea and Samaria, and relying almost exclusively on sensor technologies and a physical barrier, without forces physically present there. Look at how, despite the high wall, the IDF simply climbs it using ropes - and some of them (about 11) manage to cross into Israeli territory. Where are the forces? The connotation is absolutely clear.
""It is particularly serious that this is the most dangerous area in Judea and Samaria today - the Tulkarm area, from which only this morning terrorists fired at Bat Hefer.".
""In the case in question this morning - at 10:45 AM, the forces received the report of an attempt to cross the fence. According to security sources, within about 10 minutes, forces arrived at the scene, preventing additional members of the group from entering Israel - but some had already managed to cross. What about them? 'It's already being handled by the Israel Police,' an army source told me.
""And this illustrates the severity of the problem - the issue of the IDF sits on the seam between the IDF and the police, and neither body really takes full responsibility for it.".
""And pay attention to another statistic - 5 battalions today guard the seam in Judea and Samaria, compared to 10 that did so until about a year ago. The reduction in forces in the seam stems from two reasons - the progress in building the barrier (which, according to the army, required fewer forces there), and of course the enormous scope of forces required in Gaza and on the Lebanese border - and this does not allow for the number of battalions in Judea and Samaria to be repeatedly increased.".
""One can only imagine what would have happened if this group of security forces this morning had been a group of dozens of terrorists who were trying to storm Bat Hefer, Bahan or Nitzani Oz.".
The Emek Hefer Regional Council stated that it "views the crossing of the Shabachim with great seriousness, demands that the army exercise zero patience in the face of this phenomenon, and prevent any party from approaching the wall. The council continues to demand the addition of security forces in the area, as well as the establishment of a buffer zone beyond the wall, which will prevent anyone from approaching the seam line.".
The mayor of Kfar Yona, Albert Taib, responded to a video showing Palestinians crossing the separation wall in the area of the Bat Hefer settlement: "I repeat: Kfar Yona will not agree to be the 'Samarian envelope' and we will not allow October 7 to return.
""The army must act more vigorously on the other side of the separation wall, in Tulkarm itself, to prevent similar incidents from recurring. Although in this case we are dealing with Palestinians who are apparently looking for work, this is another red flag for all of us.".
""However, it is important to note that Kfar Yona is prepared for any scenario, and immediately upon receiving the information, the municipality went on alert, in cooperation with security officials.".
