Smotrich: dismantle the Palestinian Authority 'exactly like in Gaza'

Bezalel Smotrich, who holds the finance portfolio as well as a position in the defence ministry, called for a military campaign in the West Bank 'exactly like in Gaza' following the attack.

Smotrich added: 'In the next government this will be one of the first measures that we must demand and apply'.

The Friday attack and the military's account

The Israeli military said it had thwarted a 'terror attack' by two armed Palestinians on Friday, amid heightened tensions before next week's election. According to the Israel Defense Forces, the two assailants opened fire on soldiers at a temporary checkpoint outside Hebron after failing to reach a nearby highway, where the military believes they intended to attack civilians.

A preliminary military investigation and an AFP photographer's account set out how the shooting unfolded:

• •The gunfight lasted more than 20 minutes and left five Israelis wounded, two of whom later died.
• •Two Israeli soldiers and two Palestinians were killed in the exchange near the checkpoint.
• •An AFP photographer witnessed two Palestinian men armed with a handgun and an automatic rifle exchanging fire with Israeli forces.

Netanyahu's ordered operation

Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the army to prepare for a 'very extensive' operation in the occupied West Bank after the firefight. His office instructed security forces to immediately cordon off Hebron and prepare for a full closure of the West Bank starting Friday.

After the shooting, Netanyahu held an emergency meeting of his security cabinet and officials from top military and security agencies, saying Hamas was 'planning a major attack aimed at murdering innocent civilians'. During a visit to Hebron, he said the operation would involve house-to-house searches and home demolitions, and that forces would enter the attackers' neighbourhood, displace its residents and apply a model previously used in refugee camps in the northern West Bank.

That model was applied in the large-scale 'Iron Wall' operation launched in January 2025, which forcibly displaced tens of thousands of people across several refugee camps, according to the UN rights office.

Warnings and the backdrop

Human rights groups warned the attack could be used to justify tougher measures against Palestinians before the election. Yariv Oppenheimer, former director of Peace Now, told Al Jazeera that daily life in the West Bank is dire, with the army entering Palestinian cities and settlers attacking Palestinians.

Oppenheimer also predicted arrests and possible settler revenge attacks trying to escalate the situation further.

Friday's lockdown was the fourth time in the past month Israel imposed restrictions across the West Bank, shutting gates and checkpoints on roads that remain open to Israeli drivers including settlers.

Other context from the report:

• •Israeli settlers are increasingly taking over Palestinian properties, and authorities have stepped up demolitions of homes lacking building permits, displacing families.
• •Since the Gaza war started in October 2023, more than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces or settlers, with violence surging during the annual olive harvest.
• •On 16 October settlers attacked Palestinian villages, burning cars and trees and injuring a Washington Post photographer.
• •The next day settlers attacked European diplomats, a French mayor and Palestinian olive pickers, injuring three people and damaging a diplomatic vehicle.

Voters go to the polls on Tuesday in an election that will help determine whether Netanyahu secures another term as prime minister.