Israel launches major West Bank operation after soldiers killed

Israeli bulldozers demolish a Palestinian building in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Hebron on Friday. | AFP-JIJI

AFP-Jiji

Oct 24, 2026

Hebron, Palestinian Territories – Israel’s military launched an operation in the occupied West Bank on Friday that it said would last several days and include searches and building demolitions, after gunmen killed two soldiers days ahead of Israeli elections in which security has been a key focus.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is locked in a tight race to keep his job in Tuesday’s vote, having campaigned on promises to keep Israelis safe, and he and his rightwing allies visited the scene of the attack to pledge an even harder line on West Bank militancy.

Security forces were searching targets and questioning suspects to “locate and dismantle terrorist infrastructure” in the Hebron area from they said the attackers had emerged, according to a joint statement from the Israeli military and Shin Bet domestic security agency.

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