Hebron Sealed After Two Troops Die

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Friday that Israeli forces would cordon off Hebron and launch a major military operation in the West Bank. The decision followed a shooting attack near a junction outside the city that left two Israeli soldiers dead and three others lightly wounded.

The Israeli military identified the fallen troops as Staff Sergeant Ron Yonatan Roytman and Sergeant Yuval Shai Svilem. Army officials stated that the two Palestinian gunmen were killed by forces at the scene. Investigators found a large quantity of weapons and ammunition in the attackers' vehicle. The shooters used an M16 rifle and a handgun. The military said the weapons indicated a plan for a major attack on civilians.

Netanyahu ordered the evacuation of the Hebron neighborhood where the gunmen lived. He instructed troops to conduct a house-to-house search for weapons. "Our first step will be to demolish this site and completely transform it," the Prime Minister said. He described the shooters as Hamas terrorists, although the group did not formally claim responsibility for the attack.

The Prime Minister outlined a wider campaign for the coming days. "The IDF will enter the neighborhoods from which the terrorists emerged, evacuate the residents, go house-to-house, and dismantle the terror infrastructure," Netanyahu said. He added that Israel was prepared for an extensive operation in Judea and Samaria. The Israeli military confirmed that officers had begun offensive counterterrorism operations in the Hebron area. Soldiers were operating inside the homes of the attackers and other suspects.

Security forces arrested approximately 70 wanted Palestinians in West Bank operations over the past week. Hamas called the attack heroic and a legitimate response to ongoing crimes against its people, land, and holy sites. The group urged armed Palestinians in the West Bank to target Israeli soldiers and civilians. The escalation comes days before Israel holds elections on Tuesday. Netanyahu has made national security a central theme of his bid for another term. He characterized the shooting as an attempt to influence the vote, recalling a warning issued weeks earlier that enemies were preparing attacks to sway the election.

The Likud party stated that Netanyahu convened senior security chiefs on Friday. All campaign events for the rest of the day were canceled. The attack follows a recent surge in violence in the West Bank. It also occurred after Brad Lander, a New York Democratic candidate for Congress, was briefly detained by Israeli forces this week while helping Palestinian farmers during the annual olive harvest.