IDF Weighs Clash Label for Hebron Attack as Hamas Network Hunt Widens

Arrests are stacking up fast. Over the past 24 hours, IDF and Shin Bet forces have picked up several Palestinians suspected of helping the Hebron attackers or at least knowing what was coming, according to the Jerusalem Post. The suspects were handed to the Shin Bet for questioning, and more arrests are expected. Investigators are still working out which terrorist network backed the gunmen.

The military is pushing to characterize Friday's incident as an encounter between combat troops and two terrorists, not a terrorist attack, the Post reports. The reason: sidestepping professional criticism of how the Judea Regional Brigade, operating under the 98th Division, prepared in advance. At the same time, the IDF insists the troops' quick response stopped a much larger attack from unfolding.

This was no lone gunman. The attackers were an organized network that secured a handgun, an M4 rifle, ammunition and training with help from other operatives, per the Post. They studied the terrain, ran reconnaissance and built operational plans that let them hold off IDF forces for more than 20 minutes — a window in which the military could not get an attack drone or aerial surveillance system in the air to take them out. A regional defense officer caught in the chaos and a deputy battalion commander engaged the terrorists and killed them.

The current assessment points to a Hamas cell that got assistance from the organization's headquarters in Turkey, according to the Post. It operated despite a general warning that Hamas planned attacks in the area before Tuesday's elections. The attackers came from a very large Hebron clan, one of whose members was freed in the Gilad Schalit prisoner exchange deal.

On the ground, the IDF demolished illegal structures in the Hebron area earlier in the morning — demolitions that were already planned and had nothing to do with the attack. Troops searched 200 buildings and came up empty: no weapons, ammunition or terrorist infrastructure. Defense Minister Israel Katz said roughly 2,000 residents were evacuated, and they are expected back in their homes shortly, with the move meant to shield them from potential clashes during the searches.

IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth framed the operation as a protective barrier between civilians and terrorism, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Katz talked up offensive operations. With West Bank tensions climbing, the IDF has deployed an extra divisional headquarters — the 98th Division — to sharpen command and control in violent hotspots. The Post argues Hebron needs a new playbook that differs from the refugee camps in Jenin, Tulkarm and Nablus, both to head off copycat attacks and to dismantle organized networks that keep the threat alive.