Two Israeli Soldiers Killed in Hebron Attack as Netanyahu Orders Evacuations and Demolitions Before Tuesday Vote

Since Israeli troops killed two Palestinian gunmen near Hebron this morning, Oct. 23, the toll from the attack has been clarified: two Israeli soldiers died, and the lockdown order has grown into a promised ground operation.

The Israeli military named the dead as Staff Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman, 23, of Ashkelon, a squad commander, and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem, 20, of Hod Hasharon. Both served in the Ari Battalion of the Search and Rescue Brigade. Three other soldiers were lightly wounded and taken to a hospital, the military said.

That is a change from the first emergency-service count. Magen David Adom said responders treated at least five people near Yehuda Junction, two of them in critical condition. The military's later account lists two dead and three lightly hurt.

What the army says it found

Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir spoke at the scene. He said the attackers' vehicle held a large quantity of ammunition and weapons, and that it was intended for a larger attack.

The military said the gunmen carried an M16 rifle and a handgun. The BBC reported that the army believes the men were headed for Route 35 and opened fire after running into the checkpoint. The military has not publicly released the gunmen's names.

The IDF said soldiers are operating inside the homes of the shooters and of other suspects in Hebron and nearby villages. It also said it arrested about 70 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank over the past week and seized dozens of weapons, including M16 rifles and four explosive devices.

Evacuations and demolitions

Netanyahu went further than the closure announced earlier today. He said he ordered residents evacuated from the Hebron neighborhood where the gunmen lived, ahead of a house-to-house search for weapons.

"Our first step will be to demolish this site and completely transform it," he said. He added that the army would "go house-to-house, and dismantle the terror infrastructure," and that Israel is "prepared for an extensive operation in Judea and Samaria," the Israeli term for the West Bank.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he ordered the demolition of several Palestinian buildings next to the attack site. He also called for a campaign in the West Bank "exactly like in Gaza or Lebanon." National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for dismantling the Palestinian Authority and said freedom of movement for Palestinians matters less than the lives of settlers and soldiers.

Demolishing the homes of suspected attackers is common Israeli practice, as the BBC noted.

Who is responsible

Netanyahu called the gunmen "Hamas terrorists" and said the group was planning a major attack on civilians. He also called the shooting an attempt to influence the election. AP noted that he offered no evidence for his earlier warning that Hamas might strike to sway the vote.

Hamas has not claimed the attack. It called the shooting heroic and a legitimate response to "ongoing crimes and brutal attacks against our people, land, and holy sites." It urged armed Palestinians in the West Bank to attack Israeli soldiers and settlers.

The UN says at least 96 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank since January. Several Western governments have recently criticized the violence during the olive harvest. The United States urged Israel to act against settler violence, and France, Belgium and Poland protested after their diplomats were attacked.

Election fallout

Likud canceled its Friday campaign events, and Netanyahu visited the attack site in the afternoon. Opposition frontrunner Gadi Eisenkot and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett offered condolences and praised the troops who killed the attackers.

On Thursday, Foreign Minister Israel Katz had accused opposition leaders of undermining the government by criticizing Netanyahu's election-eve attack warnings. He said they would be "responsible" for any future attack.

Israeli media had already reported that the West Bank would be closed for the vote on Monday and Tuesday. The new order starts the closure days earlier and adds a military operation on top of it.

Netanyahu's office has not given a timeline for the broader West Bank operation or said how many Hebron residents would be evacuated. Voters decide Tuesday, Oct. 27.