Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a major military operation in the occupied West Bank following a fatal attack on two Israeli soldiers by Palestinian gunmen.
What happened
The attack occurred near the West Bank city of Hebron, where two Palestinian men opened fire at a junction, killing two soldiers and injuring three others. The Israeli military responded by killing the gunmen and later discovered a large amount of weapons and ammunition in their vehicle.
Netanyahu has ordered the evacuation of residents from the neighborhood where the gunmen lived and a house-to-house sweep for weapons. He also announced plans to demolish the site and cordon off the city of Hebron, which has a population of over 200,000.
The Israeli military has launched offensive counterterrorism operations in the Hebron area and has arrested around 70 wanted Palestinians in the West Bank over the past week. Netanyahu's government has blamed Hamas for the attack, with the prime minister referring to the gunmen as Hamas terrorists.
The escalation in the West Bank comes just before Israel's elections, where national security is a central issue. Netanyahu has made claims that the attack was an attempt to influence the elections, and has vowed to take strong action against terrorism.
