Overview
- Two Palestinian gunmen attacked an Israeli military checkpoint near Hebron on Friday, killing two soldiers; both assailants were shot dead during the exchange of fire.
- Israeli forces have imposed cordons, set up roadblocks, carried out house-to-house searches and begun demolitions in the Farsh al-Hawa neighborhood, ordering rapid evacuations of residents.
- Israeli officials, including Defense Minister Israel Katz, said roughly 2,000 people have been displaced and that searches and detentions will continue for several days as the army and internal security service seek weapons and militant infrastructure.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he is preparing a larger intervention and warned of measures against the Palestinian Authority, statements that tighten political pressure just days before national legislative elections.
- Israeli and Palestinian rights groups condemned the forced evacuations as collective punishment, and observers warn the tactics echo earlier West Bank operations that drove mass displacement and could raise regional and international tensions.