Read our editorial “Commemorate the Third Anniversary of Al-Aqsa Flood!” here.
Two Palestinian resistance combatants assaulted an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) military checkpoint at the northern entrance to al-Khalil in the occupied West Bank on October 23, annihilating two IDF soldiers and wounding four others.
The combatants were martyred following a firefight that lasted over 20 minutes. No resistance organization has claimed responsibility for the operation.
Later that day, Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades praised the operation and called upon the Palestinian masses to “rise up in the face of the usurping occupier” amid further Zionist aggression against the West Bank.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad said the operation was an invitation for the Palestinian masses of the West Bank to “escalate all forms of resistance against the crimes of the soldiers and settlers.”
Political analyst Muhammad al-Qeeq told Press TV that the operation was an “obvious slap on Netanyahu’s face.” He noted that it took place in a highly surveilled area of occupied Palestine, just days before the October 27 Israeli legislative election.
Following the attack, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a lockdown of the West Bank. He later released a video in Hebron neighborhood, where the combatants allegedly lived, in which he said, “we will act to destroy this place”. Press TV reported that the IDF had launched a series of raids on West Bank homes during the lockdown, converting them into military bases.
The Israeli military has displaced more than 2,600 people in al-Khalil as of October 25.
Activist Osama Makhamra told Press TV that settlers had brought bulldozers and excavation equipment near the West Bank village of Khallet al-Fara to prepare for the construction of a settlement. Footage shows Israeli bulldozers demolishing homes in al-Khalil following the shooting.
Israel has advanced its occupation of the West Bank throughout this year as it faces strategic defeat in the Gaza Strip and its wars against Iran and Lebanon. The United Nations Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process reported in August that 12,360 settler houses in the West Bank had been advanced or approved by Israel since the beginning of the year.
In July, peasants in the West Bank defended their village from armed settlers and IDF soldiers. One peasant seized a firearm from an attacker and annihilated two soldiers.
Image: Israeli troops near the site of the operation on October 23, 2026. Credit: Social media, retrieved from Press TV.
The Worker is an entirely volunteer-run revolutionary newspaper free from and radically antagonistic to corporate influence. We rely on the support of our readers to sustain our editorial line in service of the working class and the reconstitution of its party, the Communist Party. Make a one-time or recurring donation to our newspaper today:
Make a one-time donation
Make a monthly donation
Make a yearly donation
Choose an amount
Or enter a custom amount
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
