On a Friday morning outside Hebron, two gunmen stepped from a car at an Israeli checkpoint and opened fire, and in the exchange two soldiers died and both attackers were killed. The killings have set in motion a familiar and contested answer in this long conflict: the demolition of buildings tied to the attackers, and talk of a far larger operation across the occupied West Bank. Coming four days before Israelis vote, the violence is tangled up with a campaign already built on the promise of security, and with a year in which the death toll on both sides keeps climbing. What lies ahead depends
Israel Begins Demolishing Hebron Homes After Two Soldiers Killed at West Bank Checkpoint
Two Israeli soldiers were killed and three wounded, and at least 96 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank this year according to the UN.
Demolitions began in Hebron the same day two soldiers were killed
Mark
Start with the basic sequence. What happened at the checkpoint?
Mimi
Two gunmen got out of a car and fired on soldiers at a checkpoint outside Hebron. Two soldiers died, three were wounded, and both attackers were shot dead.
Mark
And the response came fast.
Mimi
Demolitions started in Hebron the same day. Netanyahu said the attackers' neighbourhood would be destroyed and transformed, and he compared it to refugee camp operations where thousands were displaced.
Luke
Worth separating what's done from what's promised. Demolitions have begun, but the report doesn't say how many buildings or how many people are affected.
Mark
What about the largest operation in decades?
Mimi
He said he'd reviewed plans for it. No date, no detail.
Luke
Right, so that's a stated plan, not an event. Same with the military's view that the gunmen meant to hit Route 35. That's the army's belief, not something established.
Mark
Why does the election matter here?
Mimi
Voting is four days away, and Netanyahu campaigns on security. Likud cancelled Friday events, and Smotrich and Ben Gvir pushed for much harsher steps.
Luke
I'd be careful about drawing a causal line from the election to the demolitions. The reporting shows the timing, not the motive.
Mark
And the wider numbers?
Mimi
The UN counts at least 96 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces or settlers this year, against four Israelis killed by Palestinians, before Friday.
Luke
Those are UN figures, and they stand as one source's tally. They give scale, but they don't explain Friday itself.
O Pulso
- Two soldiers lie dead and three more are wounded after a sudden gun battle at a checkpoint outside Hebron.
- Israeli forces are already bulldozing Palestinian buildings, and cordons have sealed Hebron and nearby Halhul.
- Netanyahu vows to transform an entire neighbourhood and readies what he calls the largest West Bank operation in decades, with no date given.
- Ministers call for Gaza-style campaigns and the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority, while Likud has cancelled its Friday campaign events.
- Rights groups condemn the demolitions as collective punishment, and the UN counts at least 96 Palestinians killed in the West Bank this year.
On a Friday morning outside Hebron, two gunmen stepped from a car at an Israeli checkpoint and opened fire, and in the exchange two soldiers died and both attackers were killed. The killings have set in motion a familiar and contested answer in this long conflict: the demolition of buildings tied to the attackers, and talk of a far larger operation across the occupied West Bank. Coming four days before Israelis vote, the violence is tangled up with a campaign already built on the promise of security, and with a year in which the death toll on both sides keeps climbing. What lies ahead depends on whether words about sweeping action become the bulldozers and troops of a much wider campaign.
On Friday morning, two Palestinian gunmen got out of a car at an Israeli military checkpoint outside Hebron and opened fire on the soldiers there. Two Israeli soldiers were killed and three wounded, and both attackers were shot dead. Footage verified by the BBC shows an intense exchange of fire at the post.
By the end of the day, Israeli forces had begun demolishing Palestinian buildings in Hebron. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking from the scene, promised the neighbourhood the attackers came from would be destroyed and "completely transformed," and said Israel was ready for "extensive action" across the West Bank. He pointed to earlier operations in refugee camps, where whole residential blocks were flattened, and said he had reviewed plans for the largest West Bank operation in decades. Cordons now surround Hebron, a city of about 200,000, and nearby Halhul.
Demolishing the homes of suspected attackers is a long-standing practice, and Israeli rights groups have criticised it as collective punishment, since families and neighbours lose their homes for acts they did not commit. The military says it found a large cache of ammunition in the attackers' car and believes they had planned a far bigger assault on Route 35 before being stopped at the checkpoint.
The moment falls just four days before Israel's election. Netanyahu has built his campaign on security, and his Likud party cancelled its Friday events. Coalition ministers pressed harder still, with Bezalel Smotrich calling for a campaign "exactly like in Gaza or Lebanon" and Itamar Ben Gvir urging the Palestinian Authority be dismantled. The opposition, including Gadi Eisenkot and Naftali Bennett, offered condolences to the soldiers' families, even as the government had already accused them of weakening national resolve.
The wider year has been brutal. The UN reports at least 96 Palestinians killed in the West Bank since January, many during the olive harvest amid settler violence, and four Israelis killed by Palestinians before Friday's attack. What comes next will show whether the promised operation takes shape, how far the demolitions reach, and how the shooting shapes the last days before voters head to the polls.
On Friday morning, two Palestinian gunmen got out of a car at an Israeli military checkpoint outside Hebron and opened fire on the soldiers stationed there. Footage verified by the BBC shows them stepping out with what appears to be a handgun and an assault rifle, then coming under return fire in an intense gun battle. Two Israeli soldiers were killed and three others wounded. Both attackers were shot dead, officials say.
By the time the day was out, Israeli forces had begun demolishing Palestinian buildings in Hebron. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking from the scene, said the military would destroy the neighbourhood the attackers came from. He said it would be demolished and "completely transformed," and that Israel was ready for "extensive action" across the occupied West Bank.
He compared the plan to earlier operations in West Bank refugee camps, where residential buildings were flattened and thousands of people were displaced. He also said he had reviewed plans for the largest military operation in the West Bank in decades, though he gave no date for when it might happen. Cordons, he said, have been placed around Hebron, a city of about 200,000 people, and around nearby Halhul.
Demolishing the homes of suspected attackers is a familiar Israeli practice. Israeli rights groups have long criticised it as collective punishment, since families and neighbours lose their homes for acts they did not commit.
The Israeli military said it found a large quantity of ammunition in the attackers' vehicle. Its assessment is that the men intended a far larger attack on the nearby Route 35, but ran into the checkpoint and opened fire there instead.
The timing is hard to separate from politics. Israel votes in four days, and Netanyahu has built his campaign on a promise of security. His Likud party cancelled the campaign events it had planned for Friday morning. Other voices in his coalition pushed further: Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for a West Bank campaign "exactly like in Gaza or Lebanon," and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir urged Israel to dismantle the Palestinian Authority.
The attack also landed in the middle of an argument already under way. On Thursday, Foreign Minister Israel Katz accused opposition leaders of undermining the government by criticising Netanyahu's warnings of an impending attack, saying they would be "responsible" for any attack that followed. After Friday's shooting, opposition figures including frontrunner Gadi Eisenkot and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett offered condolences to the soldiers' families and praised those who killed the attackers.
The backdrop is a tense year in the West Bank. Extremist Jewish settlers have been targeting Palestinians during the annual olive harvest. According to the UN, at least 96 Palestinians have been killed there by Israeli forces or settlers since January. Over the same period, it says, four Israelis, both security personnel and civilians, were killed by Palestinians, a count that does not include the two soldiers killed on Friday.
What to watch now is whether the large-scale West Bank operation Netanyahu described moves from plan to execution, how far the demolitions in Hebron extend, and how the attack shapes the final days before voters go to the polls.
Citações Notáveis
The military would demolish the attackers' neighbourhood and completely transform it.— Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Israel should launch a West Bank campaign exactly like in Gaza or Lebanon.— Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich
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Politics & Governance