Iron Wall Operation

Significance

Launched on 21 January 2025, Operation Iron Wall marked a significant escalation in Israeli military activity in the occupied West Bank during the broader Gaza War period. Initially directed against the Jenin Brigades in Jenin, the operation expanded on its fourth day to Tulkarm and other Palestinian cities and towns, signaling a broader scope than preceding West Bank operations. Two features distinguished Iron Wall from earlier Israeli campaigns: it represented a strategically more aggressive posture against West Bank militancy, and it marked the first instance of the Palestinian Authority directly participating alongside the IDF in a military operation. That PA involvement altered the political geometry of Israeli-Palestinian security coordination, implicating the Authority in active combat operations rather than peripheral cooperation. Israeli casualties recorded were substantial at 2,025, reflecting the intensity of sustained urban operations across multiple West Bank centers.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (4)