🔶 Israeli defense minister: A move similar to Oct. 7 from the West Bank means a full-scale war

Yisrael Katz on Monday, September 7, warned that if the Palestinian Authority prepares an attack similar to what Hamas launched from Gaza on October 7, 2023, against Israeli forces or settlements, it would begin a “full-scale war” against it.

The rare warning, condemned by Palestinian officials as an attempt to inflame the dispute during Israel’s election season, comes as violence in Palestinian territories is on the rise.

Katz’s remarks were made after an attack with a cold weapon in which an Israeli settler was injured in the north of the West Bank, and the army said it shot and killed the Palestinian attacker.

Israel has held the West Bank since 1967, an area that in recent months has seen a significant increase in attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians, which are often accompanied by minimal legal consequences or no prosecution at all.