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Summary of Terror Attacks in Israel and the West Bank, 2023–2024

Spotlight, February 4, 2025

Shaul Arieli

In the past two years, there has been a dramatic increase in the scope of terror attacks in the West Bank and within the Green Line (see Figure 1). According to data of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet),[1] 6,828 terror attacks were carried out in 2024 (including stone-throwing and Molotov cocktails), double the number of attacks in 2023 at 3,436 attacks. Nonetheless, in the West Bank and Jerusalem, there was a 44% decrease in the number of significant attacks (including vehicular attacks, stabbings, shootings, and explosive devices; see Figure 2), with 231 significant attacks recorded in 2024 compared to 414 in 2023.

The data also reveals that within Israel, Israeli Arabs carried out 14 significant terror attacks, five of which were committed by Bedouins from the Negev, with stabbings being the most common method. In 2024, the number of Israeli casualties from terror attacks (excluding data from the northern and southern fronts during the “Swords of Iron” war) stood at 46 fatalities (an increase of about 7% compared to 2023) and 337 injured (a 50% increase), with October being the deadliest month of that year (11 killed and 76 injured).

The map below shows the distribution of significant terror attacks between 2023 and 2024. It indicates that 82 attacks occurred within the Green Line, from Katzrin in the north to Beersheba in the south, with a high concentration in Tel Aviv and its surroundings. In the West Bank, the Nablus district had the highest number of attacks (43), followed by Jenin (31), Ramallah (28), Hebron (24), and Tulkarm (23).

As part of the fight against terror, in 2024 alone, the Shin Bet thwarted 1,040 significant terror attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem, a number similar to 2023 with 1,032 thwarted attacks.

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[1] The data on terror attacks is based on the monthly reports of the Israel Security Agency and does not include the northern and southern fronts during the “Swords of Iron” war, nor does it include the events of October 7. For more information, please see https://www.shabak.gov.il/reports/

The opinions expressed in INSS publications are the authors’ alone.

Mora Deitch

Mora Deitch serves as the head of the Data Analytics Center at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS). Additionally, she holds the position of research associate at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) and is a Ph.D. candidate in the Political Studies Department at Bar-Ilan University. Mora specializes in the influence of religion on politics and conflicts. Her doctoral research explores the influence of armed religious conflict on discrimination against 771 religious minorities in 183 countries around the world. She has contributed to various scholarly publications, including peer-reviewed journals such as The Journal of Conflict Resolution and Terrorism and Political Violence. Throughout her academic journey, Mora has been honored with awards from esteemed institutions, including the National Union of Israeli Students, the ISEF Foundation, the Walter-Lebach Institute, and Bar-Ilan University.

Shaul Arieli

Shaul Arieli, born in Ashkelon in 1959, is a researcher specializing in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. He has been involved in the political process and is considered one of Israel’s leading experts on the history of the conflict, border demarcation, settlements, Jerusalem, and the Separation Barrier. During his military service, Arieli served in the Paratroopers Brigade in various command positions and was wounded twice. He was the commander of the Northern Brigade in the Gaza Strip. He was head of the interim agreement administration under Prime Ministers Rabin, Peres, and Netanyahu; served as deputy military secretary to the minister of defense and the prime minister; and headed the negotiations administration for a permanent status agreement during Barak’s government, where he was responsible for staff work in the official negotiations with the Palestinians. Since retiring from the IDF in 2001, Arieli has dedicated much of his time to promoting a permanent agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. He currently leads the research group “T-Politography” and lectures at Reichman University. Arieli has published eight books and three atlases on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in multiple languages, as well as numerous studies and articles in edited books and the media.

Rebecca Meller

Rebecca Meller is an Analyst at the INSS Data Analytics Center. She is an MA student in the Honor's Program at the Federmann School of Public Policy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and has a BA in Political Science and Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Rebecca is driven by a passion for understanding and addressing societal challenges through data-driven research.

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