Israeli Forces Begin Hebron Demolitions After Checkpoint Gun Battle

The Israeli military began demolishing Palestinian buildings in Hebron on Thursday after a gun battle at a checkpoint killed two soldiers and three attackers. The attack has shifted campaign messaging four days before Israelis vote, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying from the scene that forces would "demolish this place and completely transform it," referring to the Hebron neighbourhood the gunmen are said to have come from.

Three other soldiers were wounded at the checkpoint outside Hebron, according to officials. Both attackers were shot dead. Video verified by the BBC shows two men emerging from a car armed with what appears to be a handgun and an assault rifle before opening fire on soldiers, who returned fire. The Israeli military said it recovered a large quantity of ammunition in the attackers' vehicle and believes the gunmen intended a larger strike on nearby Route 35 but met the checkpoint first.

Netanyahu said cordons were in place around Hebron, home to about 200,000 residents, and the nearby city of Halhul. He said he had reviewed plans for the largest military operation in the West Bank in decades, without giving a date, and compared the plans to earlier operations in West Bank refugee camps that displaced thousands of people.

Demolishing the homes of Palestinians suspected of attacks on Israelis is a routine practice of Israeli forces. Israeli rights groups have criticised it as collective punishment.

The shooting has entered the campaign. Netanyahu has built his bid on a promise of security, and Likud 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." National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir urged Israel to dismantle the Palestinian Authority. Foreign Minister Israel Katz accused opposition leaders of undermining the government by criticising Netanyahu's warnings of an attack before the vote. Opposition figures, including frontrunner Gadi Eisenkot and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, offered condolences to the families of the dead soldiers.

The attack comes during the annual olive harvest, a period when extremist Jewish settlers have targeted Palestinians, according to the source. The UN says at least 96 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the territory since the start of the year. Over the same period, four Israelis, including members of the security forces and civilians, were killed there by Palestinians, a figure that excludes the deaths in the latest attack.