West Bank Sweep Widens to Nablus, Jenin After Hebron Ambush
Israeli forces demolished structures near Hebron and arrested 10 suspects after an attack at Yehuda Junction killed two soldiers on Friday.
By Adewale Fletcher ·
Israeli troops and Civil Administration personnel tore down buildings and infrastructure near Hebron's northern entrance on Saturday, October 24, 2026, continuing an operation that began after a shooting one day earlier. The military said the structures were illegally built and posed potential security threats.
The attack at Yehuda Junction on Friday killed St.-Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem. Military officials in Central Command identified the attackers as Hamouda and Firas al-Ja'aba, both affiliated with Hamas, and said the two came from the Ein Dir-Baha neighborhood. The operation is under the command of the Judea Brigade, with troops from Duvdevan, Maglan, the Paratroopers Brigade, Givati reconnaissance reservists and Border Police, guided by intelligence from the Shin Bet.
Soldiers searched roughly 200 locations and arrested 10 suspects. The military said its searches ruled out the presence of weapons and terrorist activity at those sites. According to IDF assessments, about 2,000 residents in the area belong to the Ja'aba clan, which is affiliated with Hamas and from which the attackers originated.
The military began evacuating the al-Jalda and Ein Dir-Baha neighborhoods on Friday evening. Both are densely populated districts in western Hebron within the city's Palestinian urban area. Civilians who asked to leave were allowed to exit temporarily through checkpoints operated by the Shin Bet and the IDF.
Officials said removing residents from the buildings allows troops and Shin Bet personnel to search structures, family homes and their surroundings for terrorist infrastructure, weapons, ammunition, explosives laboratories and weapons caches without endangering civilians. The area is known to the security establishment as a center of Hamas activity in Hebron.
A situational assessment was set for Saturday to decide whether to expand the operation. Brig.-Gen. Kobi Heller, commander of the IDF's West Bank Division, has already broadened arrest operations and searches in Nablus, Jenin and Tulkarm, as well as other locations throughout Samaria. The expansion follows concerns about efforts by Hamas leadership abroad to stage attacks ahead of the elections.
The operation comes as Israeli forces conduct searches across multiple West Bank cities.
