Israeli forces raze Hebron buildings after checkpoint deaths

The Israeli military began demolishing Palestinian buildings in Hebron on Thursday, hours after two soldiers were shot dead at a checkpoint outside the city. Three other soldiers were wounded in the exchange. Both gunmen were killed.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking from the scene, said forces would "demolish this place and completely transform it." He said Israel was ready for extensive action in the occupied West Bank and compared the plans to earlier operations in West Bank refugee camps where residential buildings were torn down and thousands displaced. He also said he had reviewed plans for the largest military operation in the West Bank in decades but did not say when it might occur.

Netanyahu said cordons were in place around Hebron, home to about 200,000 residents, and the nearby city of Halhul. Video of the checkpoint shooting shows two men leaving a car with a handgun and an assault rifle before opening fire on soldiers and coming under return fire. The military said it found a large quantity of ammunition in their vehicle and believes the gunmen had intended a larger attack on nearby Route 35 but met the checkpoint first.

Demolishing the homes of Palestinians suspected of attacks on Israelis is a longstanding practice of Israeli forces, and Israeli rights groups have criticized it as collective punishment.

The shooting has entered the campaign, with Israel voting in four days. Netanyahu's Likud party said it would cancel campaign events planned for Friday morning. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for a campaign in the West Bank "exactly like in Gaza or Lebanon," and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir urged dismantling the Palestinian Authority. Foreign Minister Israel Katz accused opposition leaders of undermining the government by criticizing Netanyahu's pre-vote warnings of an attack, saying they would be "responsible" for any future assault. Opposition figures, including Gadi Eisenkot and Naftali Bennett, offered condolences to the families of the dead soldiers.

The attack comes during a period of tension in the West Bank, where extremist Jewish settlers have targeted Palestinians during the olive harvest. The UN reported at least 96 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the territory since the start of the year. Four Israelis were killed there by Palestinians over the same period, a count that excludes those who died in this week's attack.

Crews worked in Hebron four days before the vote.