Israel is preparing a major expansion of military operations across the occupied West Bank following a shooting near Hebron that left at least five Israelis wounded and two Palestinian gunmen dead.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he and Defense Minister Israel Katz had reviewed plans for a large-scale operation in the territory, describing the prospective campaign as potentially the largest conducted there since 1967.
“The army will enter the neighborhoods from which the attackers originated, evacuate the residents, inspect every house, and destroy the infrastructure of terrorism,” Netanyahu said.
“We are prepared for a large-scale operation in the West Bank.”
The announcement marks a significant escalation from the immediate security response to Friday morning’s attack. Netanyahu has already ordered Israeli forces to cordon off Hebron and prepare for a broader closure of the West Bank. Roadblocks and restrictions were imposed in several Palestinian areas shortly after the shooting.
The incident began near the Yehuda Junction outside Hebron, where two armed Palestinians exchanged fire with Israeli forces.
Israeli authorities identified the gunmen as Mohammad Jaaba and Firas Jaaba, both 27-year-old residents of Hebron and members of the same family. Both were killed during the exchange.
At least five Israelis were wounded, including two who were reported in serious or critical condition. Israeli officials said an M16 rifle, a handgun and a large quantity of ammunition were recovered from the attackers’ vehicle, and claimed they may have been preparing a larger attack.
Hamas later praised the operation and called for Palestinians in the West Bank to intensify resistance against Israeli forces.
Abu Ubaida, spokesman for the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, said:
“We congratulate the heroic operation in the city of Hebron.”
He called on Palestinians to “rise up against the aggressor and occupier” and increase resistance in the West Bank and its refugee camps.
Reporting on whether Hamas directly organized the attack has been inconsistent. Some outlets have described the gunmen as Hamas-affiliated or reported a Hamas claim of responsibility, while other early accounts stopped short of establishing direct operational control.
Defense Minister Israel Katz indicated that the Israeli response would extend considerably beyond immediate searches for accomplices.
Katz said what he described as the “Jenin refugee camp model” would now be applied to Hebron, including the evacuation of residents from clan neighborhoods from which attackers originated while Israeli forces conduct military operations and dismantle infrastructure they consider connected to armed groups.
The language points toward a prolonged ground operation rather than a short-term security sweep.
Israeli forces have already carried out extensive operations in Jenin and other northern West Bank areas in recent years, involving raids, demolitions, road destruction and the prolonged displacement of Palestinian residents.
Katz also said similar methods had been employed by Israel during operations in Gaza and Lebanon.
Netanyahu separately addressed Israeli settlers in the West Bank and explicitly connected the security campaign with an expansion of Israeli settlement infrastructure.
“You are an example to the people of Israel. You are an example to the State of Israel,” Netanyahu told settlers.
“We are going to destroy the terrorist infrastructure, and we are going to build the settlement infrastructure.”
He added that Israel was “building and regulating over 100 new settlements and farms,” saying the effort was not limited to the area he was visiting.
The remarks place settlement policy directly alongside the planned military expansion and suggest that the consequences of the campaign could extend well beyond the immediate search for those connected to the Hebron attack.
Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law by most of the international community, a position Israel disputes.
The escalation comes only days before Israel’s October 27 parliamentary election, with security again becoming a central political issue.
Israeli forces had already increased their presence across the West Bank in anticipation of possible attacks during the election period.
Following Friday’s shooting, far-right members of Netanyahu’s government called for even broader measures. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir demanded further restrictions on Palestinian movement and has called for the Palestinian Authority to be dismantled and disarmed. There has been no evidence presented linking the Palestinian Authority to Friday’s attack.
The immediate Israeli response has therefore quickly developed into something considerably larger than the operation around Hebron itself.
If Netanyahu and Katz implement the plans they outlined on Friday, the shooting could become the trigger for one of Israel’s broadest military campaigns in the West Bank in decades, involving extensive closures, evacuations and operations across Palestinian population centers while the government simultaneously moves forward with further settlement expansion.