{"id":96722,"date":"2026-10-23T16:59:03","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T21:59:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/?p=96722"},"modified":"2026-10-23T16:59:03","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T21:59:03","slug":"idf-planning-major-west-bank-campaign-after-2-soldiers-killed-netanyahu-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/idf-planning-major-west-bank-campaign-after-2-soldiers-killed-netanyahu-says\/","title":{"rendered":"IDF planning major West Bank campaign after 2 soldiers killed, Netanyahu says"},"content":{"rendered":"

By TOMER ALMAGOR<\/p>\n

(JTA) \u2014 The Israeli army is planning a large-scale military operation against Palestinian terrorists in the West Bank, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after Palestinian gunmen killed two soldiers and wounded three others outside of Hebron on Friday morning.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This combination of pictures created on October 23, 2026 shows armed Palestinian men during a fire exchange with Israeli forces at the northern checkpoint of Hebron on October 23, 2026. (HAZEM BADER \/ AFP)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Netanyahu visited the site of the attack along with Defense Minister Israel Katz, pledging that the IDF would destroy the Palestinian neighborhood of Hebron where the two attackers lived. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe will evacuate the residents, go house-to-house, we will remove the weapons and all the terror infrastructure will be dealt with and destroyed,\u201d Netanyahu said.<\/p>\n

The IDF, he added, is preparing for a large-scale military operation against Palestinian terrorism in the West Bank, the likes of which has not been seen since the 1967 Six-Day War.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will also guarantee something else,\u201d Netanyahu said, explaining that he and Katz had drawn up plans for \u201ca very broad IDF operation in Judea and Samaria [the West Bank], the likes of which have not been done since the Six-Day War. The IDF is ready to carry it out and we will determine the timing, but it is on its way.\u201d<\/p>\n

The attack which claimed the lives of Staff Sergeant Ron Yonatan Roytman, 23, from Ashkelon and Sergeant Yuval Shai Svilem, 20, from Hod Hasharon, occurred as the IDF was already on high alert due to next Tuesday\u2019s Israeli elections. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

IDF Sergeant Yuval Shai Svilem, 20, (at left) and Staff Sergeant Ron Yonatan Roytman, 23, were killed in action on Oct. 23, 2026. (Courtesy of the IDF)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir called the incident a \u201cserious attack\u201d and said the actions of Israeli troops at the scene had prevented an even more serious one.<\/p>\n

Footage of the incident published on social media and in Israeli media shows the two Palestinian assailants leaving their car and engaging an IDF force stationed at a checkpoint on a road used by Palestinian vehicles off of Route 35 next to Hebron. <\/p>\n

According to the military, the assailants were carrying an assault rifle, a handgun and a large quantity of ammunition.<\/p>\n

The exchange of fire lasted more than 20 minutes, until an IDF force stormed the scene and killed both assailants, according to the military briefing. A large quantity of ammunition was found in the assailants\u2019 vehicle, and the IDF assessed that they had been on their way to carry out a major attack against Israeli civilians.<\/p>\n

One of the first responders to the scene, MDA emergency medical technician Tzuriel Edri, told reporters, \u201cWe arrived at a difficult scene while gunfire was still ongoing in the area. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe entered with MDA\u2019s bulletproof ambulance and immediately began helping evacuate the wounded. We loaded a young man in his 20s, who was unconscious with gunshot wounds and in very serious condition, into the ambulance and provided him with medical treatment. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe evacuated additional wounded people to MDA ambulances that had arrived at the scene and immediately began transporting them to hospitals. Another patient in very serious condition was treated by IDF medical personnel in a mobile intensive care unit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Netanyahu held a security assessment with senior defense officials and announced he had instructed the IDF to immediately impose a siege on Hebron and \u201cprepare for a full shutdown of all of Judea and Samaria starting today.\u201d <\/p>\n

Netanyahu added that Israel would \u201cpursue Hamas terrorists and those who send them, everywhere and at all times. You have nowhere to hide.\u201d<\/p>\n

The IDF briefed reporters that Hebron, a Palestinian city of over 200,000, was under a full siege, with no one permitted to enter or leave the city. Elsewhere in the West Bank, IDF forces were conducting extensive checks of Palestinian vehicles arriving at major roads.<\/p>\n

With four days to go until the elections, politicians condemned the attack with rhetoric that hammered home the essential security messages of their campaigns. <\/p>\n

Israeli right-wing leaders Benjamin Netanyahu, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich quickly called for tough measures in the West Bank following the attack.<\/p>\n

Though Netanyahu announced a sweeping military operation, Ben-Gvir moved to outflank him from the right, saying the attack \u201conce again illustrates what I have been saying in the cabinet for four years. We need to dismantle this thing called the Palestinian Authority.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finance Minister Smotrich also quickly posted a video of himself at the scene wearing a military vest, announcing that he had instructed authorities to demolish illegal Palestinian structures. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe are sending our enemies an unequivocal message: If you mess with Jews, you will pay a very heavy price,\u201d Smotrich said, adding that \u201cthere is no alternative to a full-scale military campaign in Judea and Samaria,\u201d similar to the ones Israel conducted in Gaza and Lebanon.<\/p>\n

By contrast, Gadi Eisenkot, leader of Yashar, the largest party in the anti-Netanyahu bloc according to polls, said in an interview with Channel 12 News that he \u201cwould not be surprised\u201d if Netanyahu blamed his political rivals for the attack.<\/p>\n

In the interview, Eisenkot said that the IDF should be allowed to \u201cfocus on counterterrorism and security.\u201d Instead, he said, soldiers are \u201cforced to carry out law enforcement and public order activities\u201d \u2014 an apparent reference to the military\u2019s role in addressing violence by extremist settlers in the West Bank.<\/p>\n

But opposition leaders refrained from directly criticizing the government following the attack, instead posting messages of condolence to the families of the soldiers and expressing support for the security forces. Naftali Bennett, leader of the Together party, wrote on X that the loss of the soldiers was \u201cheartbreaking\u201d and that Israel had lost \u201ctwo heroes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yair Golan, leader of the left-wing Democrats party, wrote in a separate post that \u201cthe fight against terrorism requires determination, responsibility and a firm hand. We will fight terrorism without compromise, wherever it rears its head. We will protect Israeli citizens and restore security.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Share