Israeli Forces Displace Hundreds in West Bank Following Fatal Checkpoint Attack

Israeli forces displaced hundreds of Palestinian families in Hebron on Friday after two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers at a military checkpoint.

The gunmen wounded three other soldiers before Israeli troops shot them dead at the Farsh al-Hawa checkpoint near the West Bank city.

The crackdown comes four days before Israel's Oct. 27 general election, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a close race against former army chief Gadi Eisenkot.

"We will act to demolish this place, to change it completely," said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a speech from the location of the attack.

Israeli troops used bulldozers to demolish homes and businesses in Hebron's Ein Deir Baha and Jildah neighborhoods, while ordering residents to leave immediately.

"They demolished and took me out by force," said Riyad Mureish, a Palestinian businessman whose home in Hebron was destroyed by military bulldozers.

Local officials reported that Israeli soldiers forced between 150 and 250 families out of their homes, while setting up military interrogation centers in seized houses.

"With the Israeli elections only days away, Netanyahu is seeking to secure as many votes as possible by appeasing the settlers," said Yousef al-Jabari, the mayor of Hebron.

Far-right Israeli coalition members pushed for even broader military action throughout the occupied territory following the checkpoint shooting.

"As long as there's terror, they should not be able to live as normal," said Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Israeli national security minister, while visiting the attack site.

The Israeli military announced that its operations across dozens of West Bank locations would last for several days to locate weapons and dismantle militant infrastructure.

Palestinian groups reported that Israeli security forces arrested at least 40 to 70 people and interrogated hundreds more during widespread raids.

Human rights organizations condemned the military actions, with the Israeli group B'Tselem warning that the forced removals and demolitions amounted to collective punishment.

The Israeli military announced that all land crossings with the West Bank will be closed on election day, while Palestinian workers remain banned from entering Israeli communities.