Mahmoud " Mo" Shawki

There was an attack today carried out by radical Palestinians against an Israeli military checkpoint near Hebron in the southern West Bank, killing two Israeli soldiers and wounding three others. 1. The attack killed Yonatan Roytman, 23, of Ashkelon, and Yuval Svilem, 20, of Hod Hasharon. The assailants, Mohammed Jaaba and Firas Jaaba, both 27 and from the same family in Hebron, are suspected of being Hamas sympathizers. It remains unclear whether they acted independently or under Hamas direction. Israeli military assessments suggest they intended to carry out a larger attack against Israelis near Route 35 but targeted the checkpoint after failing to reach the highway. 2. Following the attack, the Israeli military launched operations in the area of Hebron from which the assailants originated, demolishing their family homes and preparing broader destruction of structures and residential areas, similar to operations previously conducted in Jenin, Tulkarem, Tobas, and other parts of the northern West Bank. The Israeli response is expected to displace large numbers of Palestinians unconnected to the attack, prompting accusations of collective punishment. Hebron, however, has long been a center of Hamas support in the West Bank despite the relative absence of attacks on Israeli targets in recent years. 3. Palestinian social media reaction has been overwhelmingly critical, with many arguing that the attack strengthens Netanyahu politically right before consequential Israeli elections while inviting severe collective consequences for communities across the Hebron governorate. This criticism extends even to people who generally view attacks on military targets as legitimate forms of “resistance.” Hamas’s praise for the attack has been met with ridicule, with many Palestinians accusing the group of once again helping bring devastation to the West Bank, as it did in Gaza. 4. Among Gazans, the dominant reaction has been, “we warned you.” Many point to longstanding West Bank support for Hamas, October 7, and armed “resistance,” arguing that those now fearing a Gaza-style campaign ignored similar warnings from Gazans. Hebron, in particular, has long been considered a Hamas stronghold. Gazans who opposed Hamas or criticized the prolongation of the war were often branded traitors or collaborators by West Bank supporters of the terror group. Many of those same voices are now fearful that the Israeli military will bring to Hebron the kind of devastation seen in Gaza and southern Lebanon. Today's attack was not an act of resistance. It was a reckless and self-destructive action carried out by individuals who expected to be celebrated as heroes within a hopeless political and social culture that too often rewards futile violence and collective self-harm. That culture must change.

Lesley Stahl, an 84-year-old American journalist for CBS's 60 Minutes, goes to the West Bank to better understand the extremist "Hill Top Youth" settler movement, which was preventing a local Palestinian from reaching his home. Violent kid: "What are you? You with Hamas?"🤦‍♂️🫠