WorldPosted at: Oct 23 2026 11:26PM


Netanyahu orders major military operation in West Bank after Palestinian gunmen kill two IDF soldiers

Ramallah, Oct 23 (UNI) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a major military operation in the West Bank after two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others in a shooting attack near Hebron on Friday.
The IDF said its troops killed the two attackers after a gunfight lasting more than 20 minutes at a temporary military checkpoint near the southern West Bank city.
The gunmen, identified as Mohammad Jaaba and Firas Jaaba, both 27-year-old Hebron residents and members of the same family, arrived by car at around 7.30am (local time) before opening fire on soldiers conducting routine checks on Palestinian vehicles.
The slain soldiers were identified as Staff Sgt Ron Yonatan Roytman, 23, from Ashkelon, and Sgt Yuval Shai Svilem, 20, from Hod Hasharon. Both served in the Home Front Command's 775th Ari Battalion, part of its Search and Rescue Brigade. Roytman was a squad commander.
According to the military's preliminary investigation, the gunmen may have initially intended to attack Israeli civilians on Route 35 but opened fire at the checkpoint after realising they could not reach the highway.
The IDF said a large quantity of weapons and ammunition was found in their vehicle, suggesting they had been preparing for a larger attack.
Three people were wounded, with reports initially describing two as being in critical condition before the military confirmed the deaths of the two soldiers. The remaining injured were taken to hospitals in Jerusalem.
Netanyahu said he had ordered the evacuation of residents from the Hebron neighbourhood where the gunmen lived ahead of house-to-house searches for weapons. He also ordered troops to cordon off Hebron, a city of more than 200,000 people, and said a broader operation would follow.
"Our first step will be to demolish this site and completely transform it," Netanyahu said during a visit to the attack scene.
"The IDF will enter the neighbourhoods from which the terrorists emerged, evacuate the residents, go house-to-house, and dismantle the terror infrastructure. We are prepared for an extensive operation in Judea and Samaria," he added, using Israel's term for the West Bank.
Netanyahu said the response would follow the model used in refugee camps where Israeli forces have conducted operations against Palestinian armed groups since the Hamas-led terror attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Those operations have displaced tens of thousands of residents.
The prime minister also said Israel would remove homes built without permits along West Bank roads, citing what he described as a threat to Israeli forces. He said the military was preparing for what could be its largest operation in the territory since Israel captured it in 1967, adding that the timing would be decided later.
"Our forces are operating with increased intensity to thwart terrorism and are carrying out extensive waves of arrests," Netanyahu said. "We will pursue Hamas terrorists and those who send them, everywhere and at all times. You have no safe haven."
The IDF and Shin Bet are investigating whether the gunmen acted alone or were part of a wider network that provided funding or direction. The military said there had been no specific warning of the attack, although troops were already on heightened alert ahead of Tuesday's Israeli election and amid violence by extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinians.
Hamas praised the shooting as "heroic" and described it as a legitimate response to what it called ongoing crimes and attacks against Palestinians, their land and holy sites. The group did not claim responsibility for the attack.
The escalation comes days before Israel's election, with Netanyahu making national security a central theme of his campaign. He alleged that the shooting was intended to influence the vote, referring to an earlier warning that Israel's enemies could attempt attacks ahead of the election.
Following the attack, Israeli forces launched raids in the Hebron area and began operating at the gunmen's homes, which the military said were due to be demolished. Hebron and several surrounding Palestinian towns and villages were placed under full closure.
IDF Chief of Staff Zamir said the troops' response had prevented further casualties and noted that the ammunition found in the attackers' vehicle indicated preparations for a larger assault.
The West Bank and Gaza were already expected to face a security lockdown on Monday and Tuesday in connection with the Israeli election.
The latest restrictions come as the Hebron governorate faces severe economic difficulties. Israeli forces have closed five of the region's seven entrances, affecting an area where more than one million Palestinians live and disrupting activity in one of the West Bank's main economic centres.
Israel has faced longstanding accusations from critics and rights groups of imposing collective punishment on Palestinians in response to attacks by armed groups.
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