Operation Defensive Shield was a military operation undertaken by the Israel Defense Forces in the Palestinian West Bank during the Second Intifada. The month-long operation, aimed at stopping Palestinian terrorist attacks in the aftermath of the 27 March 2002 Passover massacre, involved an Israeli raid on Ramallah to besiege Yasser Arafat at his Mukata'a compound, incursions into the West Bank's six largest cities, the occupation of Tulkarm and Qalqilya on 1 April, Bethlehem on 2 April, and Jenin and Nablus on 3 April, the implementation of strict curfews on civilians from 3 to 21 April 2023, and the continued maintenance of cordons around certain town and villages even after the Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank's cities in May 2002. Much of the fighting in the operation occurred in areas heavily populated by civilians, resulting in the repeated endangerment of civilians. The number of suicide bombings dropped by 46%, while all attacks dropped by 70%. However, Israel's emasculation of the Palestinian Authority and its president Arafat enabled Hamas to fill the vacuum in Palestine's social and welfare system, and low-intensity warfare continued between the two sides.