Israeli forces raid Bethlehem, Salfit areas in West Bank, Wafa reports

Israeli forces conducted raids in several areas of the occupied West Bank, including the towns of Beit Fajjar and Tuqu in the Bethlehem governorate and Kafr ad-Dik in Salfit, according to Wafa. During the raid in Kafr ad-Dik, local sources reported that Israeli forces forced a family out of their home to use the property as a military barracks.

These raids occurred alongside a major military operation in Hebron announced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The operation follows a gunfight near the Judea Junction area where two Palestinian assailants killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded several others. Free Malaysia Today reports that the attackers used a handgun and an automatic rifle before being shot dead by Israeli forces.

Netanyahu stated the operation would involve searching homes, destroying terrorist infrastructure, and displacing Hebron residents, threatening operations on a scale unseen since 1967. The IDF stated that Palestinian residents may leave through designated exit points after being screened.

Hamas praised the attack as a heroic operation without claiming responsibility. The announcement of the military operation comes days before Israeli elections, where security has been a central focus of the campaign.

Brief written by urgent.news from Middle East Eye, Haaretz, Free Malaysia Today, CityNews, France 24 — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.