Israeli forces have begun demolishing Palestinian buildings in the city of Hebron after two Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack by two Palestinian assailants. The attack took place on Friday morning at a checkpoint outside Hebron, and three soldiers were injured. The attackers were killed, officials said.
Footage verified by the BBC shows intense gunfire between soldiers and the attackers. The video shows two assailants getting out of a car armed, apparently, with a pistol and an assault rifle, and opening fire on soldiers at the checkpoint, after which the soldiers return fire. The Israeli military stated that a large quantity of ammunition was found in the attackers' vehicle and that it believes the assailants intended to carry out a much larger attack on the nearby Route 35 road, but encountered the checkpoint and decided to open fire there instead.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the army would "destroy" the quarter from which the attackers came. He said the army would "tear down this place and completely transform it", referring to the Hebron quarter from which the attackers allegedly originated. Netanyahu said Israel was ready for "extensive action" in the occupied West Bank and that he had reviewed plans for the largest military operation in the West Bank in decades. He did not say when the operation might be carried out. He also said he had introduced blockades around the city of Hebron, which has a population of about 200,000, and around the nearby town of Halhula. He compared his plans to previous operations in West Bank refugee camps, where residential buildings were demolished and thousands of people were displaced.
Netanyahu said his Likud party would cancel pre-election events planned for Friday morning. Israeli general elections are held in four days. It is customary for Israeli forces to demolish the homes of Palestinians suspected of attacks on Israelis, and Israeli human rights groups have criticised the practice as collective punishment.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called on Israel to launch a campaign in the West Bank "exactly like in Gaza or Lebanon". National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called on Israel to dismantle the Palestinian Authority. On Thursday, Foreign Minister Israel Katz accused opposition leaders of undermining the government by criticising Netanyahu's warnings about the attack ahead of the elections. Katz said opposition leaders would be "responsible" for any future attack on the country. Opposition leaders, including favourite Gadi Eisenkot and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, expressed condolences to the families of the killed soldiers and praised those who killed the attackers.
According to the UN, at least 96 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank since the start of the year. Four Israelis, both security force members and civilians, were killed by Palestinians in the same period, the UN notes, excluding those killed in Friday's attack. Extremist Jewish settlers are attacking Palestinians during the annual olive harvest.
