An unidentified Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) field commander announced on October 29 that the organization had launched “Operation Blinding Vision” against the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The announcement of an offensive adds to mounting evidence that PIJ is attempting to renew its attacks in the West Bank after a year of reduced activity stemming from sustained Israeli military operations.
“Since the beginning of the Battle of al-Aqsa Flood [Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack], the leadership of the al-Quds Brigades [PIJ] in the West Bank gave the signal to the mujahideen brothers to begin Operation Obstructing Vision, which targeted the eyes of the enemy and its unmanned aircraft in all the cities of the West Bank,” the PIJ commander said.
The PIJ leader added that since the operation was implemented, members of the group had successfully downed IDF drones. Furthermore, he remarked that “new weapons” had been introduced to the battlefield, but did not specify what the arms were. The commander also claimed that PIJ had successfully extracted intelligence from the drones, revealing the “coordinates of [IDF] command-and-control sites, enemy concentrations, some newly established sites, and information that cannot be disclosed at this stage.”
PIJ supported some of its assertions when it published a propaganda video of IDF drones that the group claimed to have downed. The footage shows several micro unmanned aerial vehicles allegedly belonging to the IDF, including video recorded on the drone’s memory card that shows Israeli troops at what appears to be a military base.
Since Israel launched its “Iron Wall” operation in January, it has achieved notable success in curbing the activities of Palestinian terrorist groups in the West Bank. According to figures released by the Israeli security establishment, terrorism in the West Bank was on a downward trend over the spring and summer. In April, authorities recorded 46 terrorist attacks, a sharp decline from the peak monthly average of 115 in 2024 and 214 in 2023. For comparison, the monthly averages in previous years were 168 in 2022, 120 in 2021, and 74 in 2020, the report noted. Additionally, FDD’s Long War Journal has noted a significant decline in online propaganda published by PIJ and other armed groups in the West Bank over the past five years.
However, PIJ, in addition to declaring renewed attacks against IDF infrastructure, has shown other signs that it is ramping up its activity in the territory.
Israeli police and the IDF announced on October 28 that they had killed three terrorists in Kafr Qud, near the northern West Bank city of Jenin. Israeli forces targeted the trio due to intelligence that indicated they were planning to carry out an attack. PIJ later acknowledged that those killed were members of the organization.
Earlier, on October 18, PIJ in the West Bank published a propaganda message on its official Telegram channel hinting that it had established a branch in Ramallah. The group did not provide evidence of its activity in Ramallah, but scattered reports as early as 2023 indicate that PIJ had been attempting to establish a branch in the city.
On September 25, PIJ announced that Israeli forces had killed one of its commanders and another operative in the northern West Bank. Both individuals were wanted for planning an attack and committing acts of terrorism. PIJ identified the slain fighters as Alaa Suleiman and Muhammad Suleiman.
For now, PIJ’s claims of a Ramallah branch and the acquisition of new weaponry have yet to be independently verified. The renewed signs of PIJ activity come as Israeli forces continue operations across the West Bank aimed at dismantling terrorist networks. Whether the group’s recent statements signal a genuine resurgence or serve primarily as propaganda remains to be seen.
