CAIRO: Israel on Monday threatened a “full-scale war” against the Palestinian Authority if it prepared an attack against Israeli forces or settlements similar to the one launched by Hamas from Gaza on October 7, 2023.

“If... the Palestinian Authority’s security mechanisms and related bodies initiate, or we know with certainty that they are about to initiate, a terror attack in the style of October 7 against IDF forces and Jewish settlements -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I have instructed the IDF to prepare for the opening of a full-scale war,” Defence Minister Israel Katz said.

The plan outlines that Israel would target senior PA officials, its security forces and what Katz described as terrorist infrastructure across the territory, according to i24news.

The operation could include targeted killings, civilian evacuations, the destruction of militant infrastructure and a prolonged Israeli military presence in cleared areas, Katz said.

He likened the strategy to Israeli security zones in Gaza and Lebanon and past military operations in Jenin and the northern West Bank.

“We will not allow a return to the reality of an intifada lasting for years, as was the case in the past,” Katz said.

His remarks came following a stabbing attack near Nablus in the northern West Bank.    

The IDF said on their official X account that “a terrorist armed with a knife stabbed an Israeli civilian near Usarin and fled the scene.”

The statement also added that Israeli soldiers were dispatched to the area, adding the army has launched a pursuit and cordoned off nearby villages.