Netanyahu Orders Hebron Overhaul After Checkpoint Ambush Kills Two Troops

Israeli forces began demolishing Palestinian structures in Hebron on Thursday. This action followed a shooting incident at a checkpoint outside the city where two soldiers were killed and three others were wounded. Both Palestinian attackers were shot dead during the exchange. Verified video footage captured two men exiting a vehicle armed with a handgun and an assault rifle. They opened fire on the soldiers before facing return gunfire.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the site and instructed the military to demolish the area and completely transform it. He referred to the specific neighborhood where the gunmen reportedly originated. Netanyahu stated that Israel is ready for extensive action in the occupied West Bank. He compared these plans to previous operations in refugee camps where residential buildings were destroyed and thousands were displaced.

The Prime Minister said he had reviewed plans for the largest military operation in the West Bank in decades. He did not specify a timeline for this deployment. Military authorities imposed cordons around Hebron, a city with approximately 200,000 residents, and the nearby city of Halhul. The destruction of homes belonging to suspected attackers is a standard practice for Israeli forces, though local rights groups have long criticized the tactic as collective punishment.

The ambush has injected immediate tension into the national election campaign, with voters heading to the polls in four days. Netanyahu has centered his campaign on security promises. His Likud party canceled campaign events scheduled for Friday morning. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for a West Bank campaign similar to those in Gaza or Lebanon. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir urged the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority.

Political friction emerged earlier in the week. Foreign Minister Israel Katz accused opposition leaders of undermining the government by criticizing Netanyahu’s warnings of an impending attack before the vote. He declared they would be responsible for any future attack. Opposition figures, including frontrunner Gadi Eisenkot and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, offered condolences to the families of the deceased soldiers and praised the troops who neutralized the attackers.

The military reported finding a large quantity of ammunition in the attackers' vehicle. Investigators believe the gunmen intended to carry out a larger attack on Route 35 but encountered the checkpoint and chose to open fire there instead. The incident occurred during a period of high tension in the West Bank, where Jewish settlers have targeted Palestinians during the annual olive harvest.

The United Nations reported that at least 96 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the territory since the start of the year. Over the same period, four Israelis, including security personnel and civilians, have been killed by Palestinians. This figure does not include the two soldiers who died in Thursday's checkpoint ambush.