On December 27, 2025, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), together with other security agencies, had imposed a comprehensive siege on Qabatiya in northern Samaria—the city from which the Palestinian assailant originated. The attacker had earlier killed two people and wounded several others in northern Israel.

Siege and investigative operations in Qabatiya

Defense Minister Katz said that the security forces had imposed a “full siege and closure scenario” on Qabatiya, the hometown of the attacker who carried out a combined vehicular and stabbing terror attack in northern Israel the previous day.

The IDF announced that it would operate “with full force against all terror hotspots in the village” in order to prevent terrorist activity and dismantle infrastructures that could support attacks against Israeli civilians or security personnel. Katz emphasized that Israel is pursuing an uncompromising offensive policy against Palestinian terrorism and that “anyone who supports terrorism or provides it with shelter will pay the full price.”

As part of the operation, Israeli security forces conducted house searches and mapped the attacker’s residential environment. Military units located the attacker’s home and began sealing it ahead of the demolition process, according to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit. The action was part of a broader effort that also included special forces arresting suspects and questioning dozens of additional individuals on site to identify potential networks.

In addition, two of the attacker’s brothers were arrested in the Arab-Israeli city of Arraba after information emerged indicating their possible involvement or knowledge of the attack’s planning. Israeli authorities said the arrests followed intelligence leads on their whereabouts and that they are to be questioned along with the attacker’s employer, whose vehicle was used in the attack.