The essentials
Two Israeli soldiers killed in Hebron checkpoint attack; Israel orders Hebron closure and expanded West Bank operations.
Two Israeli soldiers were killed in an armed attack at a checkpoint in Hebron, and three more soldiers were wounded in the shooting. In total, five people were injured, with two in critical condition.
Soldiers shot dead two assailants from the same Hebron family. The available reporting does not establish the assailants' motives or organizational affiliation.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the immediate closure of Hebron and the preparation of a total closure of the West Bank. The Israeli military announced counterterrorism operations in Hebron and other West Bank areas.
Netanyahu said residents of the assailants' neighborhood will be evacuated and searched house to house. He said he and the defense minister were considering a West Bank operation of unprecedented scale since 1967.
Smotrich ordered the demolition of Palestinian structures near the attack site. Hamas described the attack as a 'heroic operation' but did not claim responsibility.
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Israel moves to expand Hebron closures and counterterrorism operations
The government's response centers on containment and enforcement. Netanyahu ordered Hebron closed immediately and prepared a total West Bank closure, while the military launched counterterrorism operations in Hebron and other areas. Netanyahu said residents of the assailants' neighborhood would be evacuated and searched house by house, and an operation of unprecedented scale since 1967 was under consideration.
Hamas praises Hebron attack as heroic while claiming no responsibility
Hamas described the Hebron attack as a heroic operation without claiming responsibility for it. That characterization stands apart from the measures that followed, including evacuations and house-to-house searches in the assailants' neighborhood and Smotrich's order to demolish structures near the attack site. The reported statements leave the attack's organization unclear.