DOMINANT ANGLE
London links the Hebron attack to the Israeli electoral calendar: four days before the vote, the lockdown of the West Bank is presented as a test for Netanyahu, who has built his campaign on security.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
According to the BBC, two Israeli soldiers were killed and three Israelis wounded by two suspected Palestinian assailants at a checkpoint at the entrance to Hebron, with the shooters being shot down.
- 02
Netanyahu's office ordered Hebron to be immediately encircled and the closure of the West Bank to be prepared, four days before the Israeli elections.
- 03
The Likud cancelled its scheduled campaign events for Friday morning, and Smotrich called for a campaign in the West Bank similar to Gaza, according to the BBC.
ANALYSIS
London, 23 October 2026. For the British press, the attack in Hebron is first and foremost seen in the light of Tuesday's election. The BBC reports that two Israeli soldiers were killed by two presumed Palestinian assailants at a checkpoint at the entrance to the city, that three Israelis were injured, and that the shooters were killed. The Independent mentions at least five injured, some in critical condition, and notes that the army did not specify the target of the presumed attack or the identity of the dead and injured.
The reaction of Benyamin Netanyahou occupies the bulk of the accounts. His office ordered the immediate encirclement of Hebron and the preparation of the closure of the West Bank, starting from Friday. The Prime Minister convened his security cabinet and military officials, then accused Hamas of preparing a major attack, according to The Independent. On the spot, he mentioned an "extended action" in the West Bank, according to the BBC. The army claims to have found a large quantity of ammunition in the assailants' vehicle and estimates that they were targeting a much larger attack on route 35, before coming across the checkpoint.
The BBC emphasizes the electoral effect: the attack "has already begun to influence the campaign", with the Likud cancelling its scheduled events for Friday morning. It recalls that Netanyahou built his campaign on the promise of security. It also quotes his far-right partner Bezalel Smotrich, who calls for a campaign in the West Bank on the model of Gaza. The Independent puts the vote in its context: voters will decide on Tuesday whether to grant Netanyahou a new mandate, three years after the attacks by Hamas that triggered the war in Gaza, and the government had warned of possible attacks by the "enemies" of the country before the election.
The BBC finally situates the event in a climate of high tension, marked by extreme Jewish settlers targeting Palestinians during the annual olive harvest. It specifies that verified images show a violent exchange of fire between soldiers and assailants, while an unverified surveillance video shows the two men getting out of a car armed with a pistol and an assault rifle. The accounts remain focused on the military chronology and the political decision, and give little space to the situation of the Palestinian inhabitants of Hebron.
