According to channel 14 news reports, the village in question is Tuqu'a, located near the Jewish settlement of Tekoa. Just five months ago, the village was the site of a similar attack, where terrorists also planted an explosive device on a passenger bus. Both attacks caused damage to the bus, but miraculously there were no casualties.
Prior to these bombings, the village had seen a significant amount of stone-throwing and Molotov cocktail attacks, which, according to local residents, had almost become routine. At the beginning of the conflict, due to the determined efforts of security forces in the area, stone-throwing incidents from the village were dramatically reduced. However, as security activity decreased after a few months, the attacks resumed on the roads.
The recent escalation was partly due to the release of four terrorists from the village who had been arrested for terrorism-related activities, including stone-throwing and Molotov cocktail attacks. They were released in a prisoner swap early in the conflict.
About a year and a half ago, the village held a mass memorial event for a terrorist from the village who was killed. The event was attended by dozens of armed men from Fatah's military wing. During the event, Muhammad Masri, Fatah’s secretary in the Bethlehem district and a close associate of Mahmoud Abbas, delivered a harsh incitement speech surrounded by armed men, calling for attacks within Israel.
"Between the necessity of fighting and the necessity of victory as promised by Allah, and the difficulty of parting from loved ones, the martyrs ascend to heaven," Masri said, eulogizing the terrorist from the village. “The last among them is our heroic martyr, Mustafa Amer, who joins the ranks of the noblest and most distinguished. Ibrahim al-Nabulsi, Jamil al-Amouri, Khairy Alqam (the perpetrator of the Niveh Yaakov massacre), Oday Tamimi (the murderer of Noa Lazar), and Muhammad Zubeidi (the Jenin Brigade commander).” “From the Jenin Brigade to Nablus, the martyrs of Al-Aqsa (Fatah), Al-Qassam (Hamas), the Jerusalem Brigades (Islamic Jihad), and the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades (Popular Front). The names are many. But the goal is one: that the rebels know there is no way to the homeland except through sacrifice and selflessness. What politics divides, this rifle will unite. What politics divides and what the occupier desires, the blood of the martyrs will unite,” declared Masri.
In response, the "Fighting for Life" headquarters, leading the protests in the West Bank against terrorism, stated: “Terror in the West Bank is raising its head day by day, crossing more and more red lines. Unfortunately, the security system has not yet realized that we are in a full-fledged war, which needs to be managed just as we fight the enemy in Gaza.”
“The incomprehensible fact that terrorists who incite to terrorism and harm Jews receive a 'certificate of good conduct' because they are affiliated with the Palestinian Authority encourages terrorism and endangers the lives of Jews in Judea and Samaria. The security system must switch gears immediately and fight terrorism in the West Bank just as in Gaza. In every village where explosive devices are found, the IDF should announce the evacuation of the village and engage in house-to-house fighting until the terror infrastructure is completely eradicated, rather than prioritizing the comfort of the enemy population over the lives of Jews,” the headquarters added.
