Islamic State has stepped up attempted attacks against Israel since October 7, data shows

Islamic State has intensified its attack attempts against Israel since October 7, 2023, with more plots in that period than in the previous nine and a half years combined, according to a Washington Institute analysis by Aaron Zelin. Israeli forces conducted 46 ISIS-related arrest operations post-October 7, compared to 50 in the prior decade. Plots have grown in complexity, including a plan to detonate an explosive-laden truck near the Knesset.

Islamic State (ISIS) has significantly increased its attempts to carry out attacks against Israel since Hamas's October 7, 2023 invasion, according to a new analysis by Aaron Zelin of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Zelin compiled a database of publicly reported arrests by Israeli forces linked to ISIS dating back to 2014. He found that in the nearly decade before October 7, Israeli forces carried out 50 ISIS-related arrest operations, compared to an additional 46 since the massacre. The group has attempted 28 attacks since October 7, though almost none have been successful. The plots have grown in complexity, increasingly involving direct connections to Islamic State rather than lone-wolf supporters. Examples include a plan to detonate an explosive-laden truck near the Knesset, a cell near Hebron that manufactured approximately 100 explosive devices, and a group in Tayibe that discussed bringing down Tel Aviv's Azrieli Towers. Zelin described the evolving strategy as part of a broader effort by ISIS to encourage Palestinians to abandon Hamas. The article notes that past ISIS-inspired terrorism has succeeded in killing Israelis, including a 2022 shooting that killed two Border Police officers.