The highest level alarm raised in recent days by the government over possible attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers in the run-up to the elections came to fruition on Friday morning. At a temporary checkpoint set up by the IDF outside Hebron, two armed men fired at soldiers for twenty minutes, killing two and wounding three others. The two attackers were also hit by the military.
The IDF and the Shin Bet have launched an anti-terrorism operation that ”will last several days”. This was reported by the IDF spokesperson. ”The forces in the field have launched targeted searches to identify and dismantle terrorist infrastructure and weapons, and interrogate suspects. The operation is targeted and limited to the area from which they operated terrorists”https://gazzettadelsud.it/articoli/mondo/2026/10/24/associazione-a-hebron-morti-due-soldati-israeliani-netanyahu-sigilla-la-cisgiordania-scatta-lassociazione-antiterrorismo-8c1689a6-82e5-447f-9879-2e3cfadaea7a/.”‘Residents of the affected area will be able to leave through three designated points, after verification and questioning. Anyone who raises suspicion will be transferred for questioning”.
Israel’s reaction was harsh, with the prime minister having the West Bank sealed off, announcing that the terrorists’ neighborhood would be evacuated and the terrorist infrastructure razed to the ground to make way for a settler settlement. While the ultra-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, architect of the expansion of the Jewish communities in the West Bank, gave orders to demolish the illegal Arab-owned buildings near the site of the attack.
Four days before the elections for the 26th Knesset, Israeli political rhetoric has reached its peak. It is aimed at a country tried, angry, impoverished, in mourning. With the continuous riots in the streets caused by ultra-religious people protesting against compulsory military service, candidates receiving death threats, very high tension in the West Bank due to attacks by extremist settlers and, above all, the specter of the return of war looming.
The US ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack took care of making the horizon darker on Friday evening by stating that an American attack against Iran could “absolutely” take place as early as this weekend. The latest survey published on Thursday continues to portray a divided country. According to Israeli political commentators, not even the attack a few hours before Shabbat seems destined to speak to the belly of the country. The strong support expressed for the army by the entire opposition, from Yair Golan to Gadi Eizenkot, also makes it difficult for the prime minister to make the security issue his prerogative.
In the polls, neither political bloc achieved a clear majority. A reality that will be reflected in the formation of the future government. Netanyahu, in an interview broadcast on Channel 10, said he was “concerned” about international sanctions. Furthermore, “tens of billions of dollars in US aid to the defense budget will not continue to arrive. Because America has changed. It’s over. It’s just a matter of time,” he said.
According to the army’s reconstruction, but also by looking at the videos published on social media, Mohammad Jaaba and Firas Jaaba, 27, with his wife and children, from Hebron, arrived by car at 7.30 in the morning at the checkpoint which was carrying out routine checks. The two apparently realized that they would not be able to pass the checkpoint, reach Route 35 and hit Israeli civilian motorists. Then they decided – according to the IDF – to open fire on the soldiers with an assault rifle and a pistol.
A large amount of ammunition was later found in their vehicle, leading to speculation that the plan was for a larger attack. Hamas, which has a strong presence in Hebron, praised the attack by issuing an appeal to take up arms, as it had done after October 7. Netanyahu, in a video shot in front of the Hebron checkpoint, stated that “the IDF will enter the neighborhoods from which the attackers started, evacuate the residents, destroy the terrorist infrastructure”.
Then, addressing the “heroic settlers” he declared that in place of the terror sites, new settlements will be built. Several videos posted on social media show IDF soldiers ordering Palestinian residents of the Farsh al-Hawa area, near Hebron, to evacuate their homes before the demolition, and some buildings being destroyed by bulldozers. The Palestinian Authority said it was “collective punishment” after the attack.