Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a massive operation in the West Bank, saying his country would “act to destroy this place” after gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers in the West Bank city of Hebron on Friday morning.
Netanyahu said Israeli forces would enter the attackers’ neighborhood and displace its residents.
“We will evacuate residents, we will go from house to house, we will also seize weapons there, and all terrorist infrastructure will be dealt with and destroyed,” Netanyahu said, according to his office.
The Israeli army said it had killed both attackers. In addition to the two Israeli soldiers killed, three others were lightly injured in Friday’s attack on a temporary military checkpoint at the entrance to Hebron.
The deadly shooting in Hebron comes four days before Israel’s October 27 elections, the first to take place since Hamas’s attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The deadly West Bank shooting: what you need to know
Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for a military campaign in the West Bank, “exactly like in Gaza”, in response to Friday’s incident.
“There is no other option than a comprehensive military campaign in Judea and Samaria to dismantle the Palestinian Authority, collect weapons and eliminate terrorists. Just like in Gaza and Lebanon,” Smotrich said, using the Israeli term for the West Bank.
He said he called for the demolition of buildings near the site of Friday’s shooting.
“After the attack, I ordered the immediate demolition of a large row of illegal Arab structures adjacent to the site of the attack,” he said.
“The order will be fulfilled within the next hour and will take place throughout the afternoon.”
Smotrich, himself a West Bank settler, is widely known for advocating ultranationalist and inflammatory policies.
He has previously made similar calls for “war” in the West Bank.
Israeli human rights group B’Tselem called for international pressure to prevent Israel from displacing Palestinians.
“Israeli leaders are publicly announcing plans for collective punishment and acts that could constitute war crimes,” the group said.
He also called on the international community “to act now, using all means available under international law, to prevent the forced displacement of Palestinian civilians, collective punishment and large-scale illegal destruction in Hebron.”
Netanyahu ordered West Bank closed after Friday shooting
Netanyahu said in a previous statement on
Little was known about Israeli operations in the West Bank at that time.
Israel has continued to tighten its grip on the occupied West Bank, having built dozens of outposts, considered illegal under international law, in the territory over the years.
Settler violence is on the rise in the West Bank, occupied by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967, with dozens of Palestinians killed since the start of the year.
Israeli elections take place next week: what you need to know
The incident comes at a critical time for Israel.
Israel’s October 27 election is widely seen as a referendum on Netanyahu, the country’s longest-serving prime minister, who has been criticized by his opponents for failing to prevent Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Polls indicate the election will be a close race between the pro- and anti-Netanyahu blocs.
Despite the international attention paid to Gaza and the West Bank, there is little difference between the two blocs when it comes to Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.
Just days ago, masked Israeli settlers attacked a group of European diplomats and journalists in the West Bank as they accompanied Palestinians for the start of the annual olive harvest.
The Israeli military condemned the violence and launched a rare investigation into the settlers. The Israeli occupation and settlements, scattered throughout the territory, are illegal under international law.
Editing: Alex Berry and Sean Sinico
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