Judea Brigade Demolishes Hebron Structures After Fatal Ambush

Israeli forces dismantled illegally built structures near the northern entrance to Hebron on Saturday, continuing a military response to a shooting attack that killed two soldiers the previous day.

The operation, led by the Judea Brigade, involved the Duvdevan and Maglan units, the Paratroopers Brigade, Givati reconnaissance reservists, and Border Police. The Shin Bet security agency provided intelligence support for the effort.

Military personnel searched approximately 200 locations in the area. They cleared the sites of weapons and terrorist infrastructure and detained 10 suspects during the sweep. The demolitions occurred close to Yehuda Junction, the site of Friday's ambush.

The attack killed Staff Sergeant Ron Yonatan Roytman and Sergeant Yuval Shai Svilem. Central Command officials identified the gunmen as Hamouda and Firas al-Ja'aba. Both men belonged to the Ja'aba clan, a group affiliated with Hamas. The attackers came from the Ein Dir-Baha neighborhood in western Hebron.

IDF assessments indicate that roughly 2,000 residents in the targeted area belong to the Ja'aba clan. Security officials described the district as a known center for Hamas operations in Hebron. To allow for thorough searches of homes and infrastructure, the military began evacuating the al-Jalda and Ein Dir-Baha neighborhoods on Friday evening.

Civilians who wished to leave were permitted to exit through checkpoints run by the Shin Bet and the IDF. Officials stated that removing residents from buildings allows troops to search for weapons caches and explosives laboratories without placing civilians at risk.

Brigadier General Kobi Heller, commander of the IDF's West Bank Division, expanded arrest operations and searches to the Nablus, Jenin, and Tulkarm areas on Saturday. He also ordered additional sweeps throughout Samaria. A situational assessment was scheduled for Saturday to determine if the operation would widen further.