Three years after the October 7 massacre, IDF forces launched a large-scale operation overnight and Wednesday morning to demolish monuments erected in memory of terrorists across Judea and Samaria.
As part of the operation, troops entered a number of Palestinian villages and cities and began demolishing dozens of monuments honoring terrorists and glorifying acts of terrorism. One of the operation’s main focal points was Nablus, where forces demolished a prominent monument. Troops also operated in the town of Ya'bad, southwest of Jenin, destroying a monument erected in memory of Yasser al-Hamadouni.
The operation followed a mapping effort led in recent weeks by Finance Minister and Minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel Smotrich and MK Tzvi Sukkot. The two mapped dozens of monuments across Judea and Samaria and submitted their details with a demand that they be demolished. The effort moved from the mapping stage to large-scale field operations overnight.
Alongside the demolitions, IDF soldiers left a message for local residents warning against glorifying terrorists and inciting terrorism.
“Israeli security forces are operating in the area to demolish monuments glorifying terrorists, praising them and their acts of terror against Israel," the message stated. “The security forces will not allow incitement to terrorism or the glorification and praise of terrorists."
The message also warned that the campaign would not be a one-time operation. “Anyone who glorifies or supports terrorism will be arrested on charges of incitement, and every monument erected to glorify terrorists will be demolished," the soldiers wrote. “Terrorism has not brought, and will not bring, anything but destruction and devastation, just as Hamas brought devastation upon the Gaza Strip for years."
The operation drew attention in the Palestinian and Arab media, with its execution receiving coverage across Arab-language outlets and social media.
Smotrich and Sukkot welcomed the operation, linking the demolition of the monuments to efforts to combat incitement in the public sphere.
“The State of Israel is cutting off the infrastructure of incitement to terrorism and sending a clear message: There is no place for platforms supporting terrorism in the State of Israel," they said. “For years, we have been shouting the simple truth: Terrorism begins with incitement in the public sphere, and now the change has been put into effect."