West Bank Escalation: Israel Orders Hebron Demolitions After Checkpoint Killings

Israel’s military began tearing down structures in the Palestinian city of Hebron on Wednesday. This action follows a shooting incident at a checkpoint outside the city where two Israeli soldiers were killed and three others wounded. Both Palestinian gunmen involved in the attack were shot dead during the exchange of fire.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the scene and declared that the army would demolish the specific neighborhood from which the attackers emerged. He stated that the military aimed to completely transform the area. Netanyahu compared this move to previous operations in West Bank refugee camps that resulted in the displacement of thousands of residents. He also revealed that he had reviewed plans for the most extensive military campaign in the West Bank in decades, though he did not provide a timeline for its execution.

The Israeli government imposed security cordons around Hebron, a city with approximately 200,000 inhabitants, and the nearby town of Halhul. The military reported finding a large cache of ammunition in the vehicle used by the attackers. Officials believe the gunmen originally targeted Route 35 but decided to open fire at the checkpoint when they encountered the soldiers. Footage from the scene shows the two men leaving their car armed with a handgun and an assault rifle before engaging in a gun battle.

The incident has injected tension into the national election campaign scheduled for four days later. The Likud party, led by Netanyahu, canceled campaign events planned for Friday morning. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for a military strategy in the West Bank similar to those used in Gaza and Lebanon. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir urged the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority. Both ministers belong to the far right and are key figures in the current coalition.

Political disagreements emerged immediately. Foreign Minister Israel Katz accused opposition leaders of weakening the government by criticizing Netanyahu’s earlier warnings of a potential attack. Katz claimed the opposition would be responsible for any future incidents. In response, opposition figures Gadi Eisenkot and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett offered condolences to the soldiers’ families and praised the troops who killed the gunmen.

Israeli rights groups have long criticized the practice of demolishing homes of suspects, describing it as collective punishment. The recent violence occurs amid heightened tensions during the annual olive harvest, when extremist Jewish settlers have frequently targeted Palestinians. United Nations data indicates that at least 96 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank since the start of 2026. Over the same period, four Israelis have been killed by Palestinians in the territory, a count that excludes the two soldiers from the latest checkpoint attack.

The military continues to search the area for additional evidence related to the planned attack on Route 35. Local residents in the designated demolition zone have begun clearing their belongings from properties marked for destruction. The checkpoint where the shooting occurred has remained closed to civilian traffic as investigators document the scene.