At the “return march” in the Gaza Strip on Friday, February 8, 2019, there was a relatively high level of violence. IEDs and hand grenades were thrown at IDF forces and there were several attempts to cross the security fence. In addition, there were indications that Hamas and the other Palestinian terrorist organizations were carrying out their recent threats, renewing the mini-flotillas and the activity of the “night harassment unit.” The declarations of intent to renew the launching of IED balloons (which have not yet been identified in Israeli territory).

In ITIC assessment, behind the rise in the level of violence lies the failure of the most recent round of talks in Cairo and the differences of opinion between Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) regarding the desirable dose of violence. Hamas continues to regulate the violence to prevent it from turning into a broad military confrontation with Israel.

In Judea and Samaria terrorist events focused on the stabbing attack that killed a young Israeli woman near the Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem. The Israeli security forces quickly found the murderer, a Palestinian from Hebron. Investigation revealed that the murder was nationalistically motivated. The Palestinian Authority (PA) media ignored the murder.

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