Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the army to prepare for a “very extensive” operation in the occupied West Bank following the deaths of two Israeli soldiers and two Palestinians in an exchange of fire near a checkpoint in Hebron. This decision comes after the Israeli military reported that it thwarted a “terror attack” by two armed Palestinians on Friday, amid heightened tensions ahead of next week’s election.
Incident Overview
According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the two assailants opened fire on soldiers at a temporary checkpoint outside Hebron after they failed to reach a nearby highway, where the military believes they intended to attack civilians. A preliminary military investigation revealed that the gunfight lasted more than 20 minutes, resulting in five Israelis being wounded, two of whom later succumbed to their injuries.
An AFP photographer, who was en route to another assignment, witnessed the gun battle and reported seeing two Palestinian men armed with a handgun and an automatic rifle exchanging fire with Israeli forces.
Military Response
In response to the shooting, Netanyahu’s office instructed security forces to immediately cordon off Hebron and prepare for a full closure of the West Bank starting on Friday. Following the attack, Netanyahu convened an emergency meeting with his security cabinet and officials from top military and security agencies. He stated that Hamas was “planning a major attack aimed at murdering innocent civilians.”
During a visit to Hebron after the attack, Netanyahu announced that Israeli forces would enter the neighborhood of the attackers and displace its residents. He indicated that the military would apply a model previously used in refugee camps in the northern West Bank. A large-scale military operation named the “Iron Wall”, launched in January 2025, forcibly displaced tens of thousands of people across several refugee camps, according to the UN rights office.
