West Bank Security: Netanyahu Orders Hebron Cordon and Wide Sweep After Two Soldiers Die

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a major military operation in the West Bank on Friday, directing troops to seal off the city of Hebron. The directive followed a shooting incident near a junction in Hebron where two Palestinian men opened fire, killing two Israeli soldiers.

The Israeli military identified the deceased soldiers as Staff Sergeant Ron Yonatan Roytman and Sergeant Yuval Shai Svilem. Three other soldiers sustained light injuries in the exchange. Forces at the scene killed the two gunmen. The army stated that the attackers used an M16 rifle and a handgun. A large quantity of weapons and ammunition was recovered from the gunmen's vehicle. The military said these findings suggested the shooters had planned a major attack on civilians.

Netanyahu announced that residents in the Hebron neighborhood where the attackers lived would be evacuated. He instructed soldiers to conduct a house-to-house search for weapons. Hebron is home to more than 200,000 people. The prime minister said the first step would be to demolish the specific site and transform it. He described a wider campaign ahead, stating that the IDF would enter the neighborhoods where the terrorists emerged, evacuate residents, and dismantle the terror infrastructure. He added that Israel was prepared for an extensive operation in Judea and Samaria, the Israeli name for the West Bank.

Netanyahu labeled the gunmen as Hamas terrorists. Hamas, designated a terrorist group by Israel and the United States, called the attack heroic. The group described the violence as a legitimate response to ongoing crimes and brutal attacks against its people, land, and holy sites. Hamas did not claim direct responsibility for the specific shooting. The group also urged armed Palestinians in the West Bank to attack Israeli soldiers and civilians.

The Israeli military began offensive counterterrorism operations in the Hebron area. Soldiers were operating inside the homes of the attackers and other suspects. The army reported arresting around 70 wanted Palestinians in West Bank operations over the past week. The escalation occurs days before Israel holds elections on Tuesday. Netanyahu has made national security a central theme of his campaign for another term. He characterized the shooting as an attempt to influence the vote, citing a warning he issued weeks earlier that enemies were preparing attacks to sway the election.

His Likud party stated that Netanyahu convened senior security chiefs on Friday. All campaign events for the remainder 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 assisting Palestinian farmers during the annual olive harvest.