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Sunday, November 8, 2026
IDF withdraws 98th Division HQ from West Bank after monthlong deployment
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The military says it has withdrawn the headquarters of the 98th Division from the West Bank, after the unit was deployed to the territory over a month ago to alleviate the pressure on the Judea and Samaria Division amid heightened tensions.
The 98th Division’s headquarters took command on September 25 over the Judea and Etzion regional brigades, tasked with the southern portion of the West Bank, without deploying its own organic units.
The military says the two regional brigades under the command of the division headquarters carried out 1,500 operations, during which 140 suspects were apprehended, and some 35 weapons were seized.
Also during the time the division’s headquarters was in charge of the southern part of the West Bank, two soldiers were killed in a shooting attack at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Hebron.
The IDF says the 98th Division will now be on standby, while “focusing on readiness and preparations for future scenarios.”
The Times of Israel Community.