Palestinian Authority security forces have confiscated hundreds of illegal weapons in expansive operations carried out in recent weeks in the West Bank.

In targeting a different area with each raid, PA forces have succeeded in seizing a significant number of arms, Israeli and Palestinian sources said. Most notable among those were “Carlos” guns — crude, homemade but lethal submachine guns that have been used to carry out numerous terror attacks over the past several years.

At the same time, the forces loyal to PA President Mahmoud Abbas have continued their arrests of terror suspects, primarily Hamas activists, but also those aligned with the Islamic State terror group and other extremist organizations. They have succeeded in thwarting attacks both in the West Bank and in Israel proper.

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The PA forces have also proven to be aggressive in their efforts to quash violent protests by Palestinian youths against the IDF, according to officials on both sides.

PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah is reportedly overseeing the activities of the authority’s forces and holding regular talks with security chiefs.

These efforts are part of the PA’s deliberate decision to prevent an escalation on the ground, amid a 25-day hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails that has sparked low-level unrest throughout the West Bank.

The security services have thus far managed on numerous occasions to divert demonstrations aimed at direct confrontations with the IDF to areas where there is no Israeli presence, the sources said.