Netanyahu and Katz Announce "Camp Model" Evacuations in Hebron After Attack

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Friday their government's intention to implement an "offensive camp model" in residential neighborhoods in Hebron. The plan involves evacuating residents, raiding and searching homes, and destroying what they termed "terror infrastructure." This announcement came during a field visit to the site of a shooting attack near Hebron that resulted in the injury of six settlers and the deaths of the two perpetrators.

Netanyahu stated in a video clip and a written statement that the Israeli army would enter the neighborhoods from which the attackers emerged, evacuate residents, conduct house-to-house searches, and dismantle terror infrastructure. He indicated readiness for a large-scale military operation in the West Bank, emphasizing that this model, previously used successfully in refugee camps, would be applied within Hebron's neighborhoods. He also mentioned imposing a security cordon on Hebron and Dura, and considering expanding the model to other cities, alongside accelerating the removal of illegal structures along traffic routes.

Speaking ahead of the upcoming Israeli elections, Netanyahu warned of enemy attempts to target Israelis before the vote, stating that the army had thwarted such an attempt. He vowed to completely destroy the site of the attack and implement the "offensive and successful model" used in "terrorist strongholds" like refugee camps. He also pledged a large-scale IDF operation in the West Bank, unprecedented since the 1967 war, with the timing to be determined by Israel.

Defense Minister Israel Katz echoed these sentiments, attributing the attack to Iranian-backed proxies and the Muslim Brotherhood, aiming to disrupt the upcoming elections. He confirmed that the perpetrators were a Hamas cell from Hebron and that their attempt at a large-scale attack was thwarted. Katz stated he and the Prime Minister had ordered the IDF to dismantle terror infrastructure and deal with the Hebron neighborhood involved in an "unprecedented" manner, following the Jenin refugee camp model. He added that the perpetrators, their senders, and their helpers would pay a heavy price, and Israel would ensure the security of settlements and settlers in the West Bank by all necessary means.