HEBRON, West Bank — Forty suspects were apprehended in weekend counterterrorism operations across Judea and Samaria, the Israel Defense Forces said in an update posted on X, two days after a shooting near Hebron killed two soldiers.
Working in about 40 areas and 400 locations, the forces focused on places identified with Hamas, the IDF said. Among those held were suspects linked to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and others accused of incitement, public disorder and rock-throwing.
The sweep followed Friday’s attack. At a military checkpoint near the city, two Palestinian gunmen opened fire, killing two soldiers, and were then shot dead, Reuters reported. The dead soldiers were Staff Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman, 23, and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem, 20, the military said. Three other soldiers were wounded.
In Hebron, the IDF said a targeted operation began in the area the attackers came from, aimed at dismantling terrorist infrastructure and preventing further attacks. Structures described by the military as illegal were demolished at the attack site. Civilians could leave through designated screening points, and none were forced to evacuate, the IDF said.
That is not the account Palestinian officials gave. A Palestinian official told Reuters on Saturday that around 1,200 Palestinians were forced to leave their homes. Hebron municipality head Yousef Zouhair Al-Jabari said roughly 1,300 more faced losing theirs, and the Palestinian Authority called the operation “collective punishment.”
“We are calling on officials to stand by us because we are not involved in any of this. There are children. We are isolated; we don’t do anything. This is all arbitrary,” said Majdi Nasser, one of the residents driven from his home, according to Reuters.
After the attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a closure on Hebron and preparations for a full lockdown across Judea and Samaria, in a statement posted on X.
“We will pursue Hamas terrorists and their dispatchers everywhere and at all times. You have no safe haven.”
The counts do not line up. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club put arrests on Friday and Saturday at around 70 Palestinians. Reuters reported that Israeli officials had not commented on those arrests.
Entrances to most Palestinian cities and towns across the West Bank have been blocked by Israel, sharply limiting movement, Reuters reported. All of it comes days before Israel’s parliamentary elections on Tuesday.
Also Read: Netanyahu Orders Preparations for Full West Bank Closure
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