Amid the escalation in Judea and Samaria over the past month, Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Sunday held a special security discussion at the Kirya base in Tel Aviv.
The discussion was attended by Alternate Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Defense Minister Benny Gantz and senior members of the defense establishment, and followed lengthy discussions led by Gantz throughout the last few days.
A political source told Channel 13 News on Sunday evening that the various officials discussed the continuation of the IDF's operational activity and the ways to prevent further escalation.
At the same time, an official in the defense establishment told Kan 11 News that security forces have been able to dramatically reduce the number of attacks coming out of the city of Shechem (Nablus) in recent days. The official added that the blockade on the city will remain indefinitely and as needed.
Earlier in the day, following a security assessment by Gantz, it was decided to revoke the entry permits of 164 relatives of terrorists in the city of Shechem (Nablus) and its environs.
In the past year, Israel has prevented the entry of over 2,500 relatives of Palestinian Authority terrorists who carried out terror attacks against Israeli citizens.
Meanwhile, the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) cleared for publication on Sunday that as part of a joint effort between the Shin Bet and Israel Police, two Israeli citizens from the Negev region who were in contact with a member of a terror organization in the Gaza strip were arrested.
The investigation found that the two men were in contact with a terrorist who lives in the Gaza strip. The parties' communication included transferring funds to the terrorist at his request.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Simchat Torah and Shmini Atzeret in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)