Israel Launches Multi-Day West Bank Operation After Two Soldiers Killed
The Israeli military and the Shin Bet domestic security agency launched a multi-day counterterrorism operation across the occupied West Bank on Friday following a shooting attack that killed two soldiers near Hebron. Palestinian communities, local residents, and regional commuters face severe closures, sweeping building demolitions, and strict military lockdowns as security forces comb dozens of locations ahead of Tuesday’s Israeli elections.
Netanyahu Weighs Unprecedented West Bank Offensive Amid Heated Vote
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accompanied by Defence Minister Israel Katz and far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, visited the Farsh al-Hawa checkpoint where two Palestinian gunmen armed with a handgun and an automatic rifle killed the soldiers before being shot dead. Netanyahu ordered an immediate lockdown of the area and stated that authorities are considering an extensive offensive in Judea and Samaria on a scale not seen since the 1967 war.
The initial phase involves entering targeted neighborhoods, evacuating residents, and destroying structures deemed security threats, applying a model previously deployed in northern West Bank refugee camps during a large-scale January 2025 campaign. Israeli rights group B’Tselem condemned the plans as potential collective punishment amounting to war crimes and demanded urgent international intervention. Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that sweeping closures are damaging Palestinian livelihoods, while Hamas praised the initial attack without claiming formal responsibility.
