In the past year, the Shin Bet thwarted 1,040 significant attacks in the Judea and Samaria region and Jerusalem, interrogated over 650 detainees from the Gaza Strip, uncovered 20 terror cells among Israeli Arabs, and 13 cases of Israelis spying for the Iranian enemy, according to the organization’s annual report.
Gaza Strip
The activities of Shin Bet officers and fighters in the Gaza Strip led to more than 1,350 arrests in focal points, including approximately 40 members and senior commanders, about 165 affiliates to senior figures, around 45 involved in raids, and about 100 suspected of possessing information relevant to hostages.
Approximately 2,500 detainees from the Gaza Strip were processed, with over 650 transferred for interrogation by the Shin Bet, during which life-saving information for ground maneuvering was obtained, and hundreds of terrorist organization targets in the strip were targeted.
Lebanon
Over the past year, 25 senior figures and operatives from Palestinian terrorist organizations in Lebanon, including Hamas, al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, were eliminated.
Judea and Samaria and Jerusalem
This year, the Shin Bet thwarted 1,040 significant attacks, including 689 shootings, 326 explosive attacks, 13 stabbings, 9 vehicular attacks, 2 suicide attacks, and 1 abduction. There was a 40% drop in attacks in Judea and Samaria and Jerusalem compared to the number of thwarted attempts this year.
In the past year, dozens of special operations by the Shin Bet, IDF, and YAMAM (Israeli SWAT unit) took place in Judea and Samaria. Of these, 10 special operations for arrest or thwarting in the field were carried out, including sensitive operations by the Shin Bet’s operational unit at hospitals in Jenin and Nablus, and a special operation in the heart of the Tulkarm refugee camp at the end of October.
Israel Arena
Against the backdrop of the conflict, security forces managed to prevent outbreaks on the internal front. In the past year, the Shin Bet conducted hundreds of thwarting actions, uncovering 20 terror cells among Israeli Arabs planning attacks, including 5 cells plotting bomb or car bomb attacks.
Special Operations
In the past year, the special joint team, comprising Shin Bet’s operational unit fighters and YAMAM fighters (known as “Team Tequila”), was dispatched 32 times to thwart immediate-threat attacks.
Since the beginning of the conflict, the Shin Bet has planned and led, in cooperation with YAMAM and the IDF, three operations to rescue live hostages. In addition, special operations were conducted for the retrieval of abductees’ bodies for burial in Israel.
Conversation from the Shin Bet operations command center during the rescue operation of soldier Ori Magidish:
Conversation from the Shin Bet operations command center during the rescue operation of soldier Uri Magidish (Photo: Shin Bet Spokesperson)
The Iranian Threat
This year was characterized by an increase in Iranian adversary activity in a multi-arena approach—a combination of attempts to smuggle game-changing weapons into Judea and Samaria, alongside attempts to recruit Israelis for missions and cyber attacks on Israeli targets.
A record number of detainees involved in cases related to espionage for the Iranians was recorded, with a 400% increase from the number of detainees in 2023. During the year, 13 serious espionage cases of Israelis for Iranian intelligence were exposed and thwarted, and severe indictments were filed against 27 Israelis.
Security Amid War
The Shin Bet conducted hundreds of complex security operations in high-risk areas, including safeguarding symbols of governance in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and Syria. Dozens of complex security operations were also performed abroad, including two special security operations: securing the Israeli sports delegation for the Olympics in Paris, France, and the Israeli delegation for the Eurovision in Malmö, Sweden.
War in the Technological Arena
Since the beginning of the war, the number of cyberattacks has increased fivefold compared to previous years. In the past year, in a joint effort by the Shin Bet, IDF, and the National Cyber Directorate, approximately 700 cyberattacks were thwarted, out of thousands of attempts by various adversaries.
