Demolition crews enter Hebron after checkpoint ambush kills two soldiers

Israeli military teams began tearing down Palestinian structures in Hebron on Thursday, hours after two soldiers were shot dead at a checkpoint outside the city. The assault marks a sharp escalation in the West Bank, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring an intent to reshape the area where the gunmen came from.

Witnesses captured video of the intense firefight, showing two armed men exiting a vehicle and engaging troops before falling under return fire. Officials confirmed both attackers were killed and three other soldiers were wounded. The military stated it found a large quantity of ammunition in the car, leading officials to believe the pair had targeted the nearby Route 35 but diverted to the checkpoint.

Netanyahu addressed reporters from the scene, stating the military would "demolish this place and completely transform it." He framed the move as part of a readiness for "extensive action" in the occupied territory, drawing comparisons to previous operations in refugee camps that displaced thousands. The Prime Minister said he had reviewed plans for the largest West Bank military operation in decades, though he did not provide a timeline. He also announced cordons around Hebron, a city with roughly 200,000 residents, and the nearby town of Halhul.

The incident has injected immediate tension into the election campaign, which concludes in four days. Netanyahu’s Likud party cancelled campaign events scheduled for Friday morning. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for a military campaign in the West Bank "exactly like in Gaza or Lebanon." National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir urged the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority. Foreign Minister Israel Katz accused opposition leaders of undermining the government by criticizing Netanyahu’s earlier warnings, claiming they would be "responsible" for future attacks.

Opposition figures reacted with mixed signals. Leader Gadi Eisenkot and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett offered condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers and praised the troops who killed the gunmen. Israeli rights groups have long criticized the demolition of suspected attackers' homes as a form of collective punishment, a practice that remains common in the region.

The violence occurs against a backdrop of rising tensions in the West Bank. Extremist Jewish settlers have been targeting Palestinians during the annual olive harvest. According to the United Nations, at least 96 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers since the start of the year. Over the same period, four Israelis, including security personnel and civilians, have been killed by Palestinians, a count that excludes the two soldiers lost in the latest checkpoint attack.