Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to dismantle a neighbourhood in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, from which the Palestinian gunmen involved in a deadly checkpoint shooting reportedly emerged.
Netanyahu made the declaration on Friday, October 23, 2026, during a visit to Hebron alongside Defence Minister Israel Katz, following an attack that left two Israeli soldiers dead and three others injured.
In a video statement released by his office, the Israeli leader said the government intended to transform the area through an extensive security operation modelled on previous Israeli military actions in West Bank refugee camps.
“First of all, we will act to destroy this place, to change it completely,” Netanyahu said.
He added that Israeli forces would evacuate residents, search homes for weapons and dismantle infrastructure they consider linked to militant activities.
“We will evacuate the residents, we will go house to house, we will remove the weapons there as well, and all the terrorist infrastructure will be dealt with and destroyed,” he said.
Since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel, Israeli forces have carried out operations in several West Bank refugee camps, including measures that displaced residents from areas where the military says armed groups operate.
Netanyahu also announced plans to remove houses built without permits along West Bank roads, arguing that some structures posed security risks to Israeli forces.
The prime minister further disclosed that the military was preparing for a major operation in the West Bank, which he described as potentially the largest since Israel captured the territory in 1967.
“The IDF is prepared to carry it out, and we will determine the timing, but it is on the way,” he said.
During the visit, Netanyahu praised Israeli settlers, describing them as “a model for the people of Israel” and for the state, days ahead of the country’s general election.
Defence Minister Katz, meanwhile, linked the checkpoint attack to what he described as broader efforts by Iran-backed groups and the Muslim Brotherhood network to target Israeli civilians and soldiers.
Katz alleged that these groups were seeking to influence Israel’s upcoming elections through attacks, although no supporting evidence for the claim was provided in the statement.
