Netanyahu Vows Unprecedented West Bank Offensive After Hebron Attack, Days Before Israeli Election

Two Israeli soldiers were killed in a shooting attack by Palestinian gunmen near a checkpoint outside Hebron in the occupied West Bank on October 23, 2026. The assailants, identified as Firas and Hamouda al-Jaaba, were killed in the ensuing gunfight; Israeli forces reported finding weapons and ammunition.[1][2] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visiting the site in military gear, ordered the cordoning off of Hebron, house-to-house searches, forced evacuations, and demolitions in the attackers' neighborhood, framing the response as adopting tactics used in prior operations in Jenin, Tulkarm, and other areas.[3][4] He explicitly threatened a major military campaign across the West Bank “of a scale not seen since the Six-Day War,” with the IDF prepared to execute it at a time of Israel’s choosing.[5] Defense Minister Israel Katz and far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich echoed calls for comprehensive action modeled on Gaza and Lebanon operations, including dismantling Palestinian Authority infrastructure, weapon confiscation, and resident evacuations.[6] The incident occurred four days before Israel’s October 27 national election, amid heightened security alerts and polling that showed Netanyahu in a tight race. Earlier statements from Netanyahu and Katz had warned of full-scale war if Palestinian forces “turned their guns” against Israelis, a scenario the government had publicly anticipated.[7] Operations in Hebron have since displaced thousands of Palestinians, with buildings razed and neighborhoods sealed.[3]