Defense Minister Yisrael Katz revealed on Thursday that Hamas planned on attacking yishuvim and IDF soldiers in Yehudah and Shomron and the seam line during the ceasefire.

“Israel had information that Hamas was planning to attack soldiers and yishuvim – during the ceasefire,” Katz said at a conference of regional council heads. “Security forces seized Hamas ‘attack files’ targeting yishuvim in Yehudah, Shomron, and the seam line.”

“The yishuvim in Yehudah and Shomron are the defensive wall of most of the State of Israel,” he emphasized. “When Yehudah and Shomron are protected, the major cities are protected. We must be proactive in Yehudah and Shomron and defeat the enemy.”

Katz added that Israel has no intention of withdrawing IDF forces from the Philadelphi Corridor, confirming the statement of an Israeli official earlier on Thursday morning.

Katz said that the Philadelphi, which runs along the Egyptian-Gazan border, will remain a buffer zone “just like in Lebanon and Syria.”

“I saw with my own eyes more than a few tunnels penetrating the Philadelphi, some of which were closed – and some of which were open,” he added.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)