Israel begins demolishing Palestinian homes in West Bank after attack

The Israeli government has begun tearing down buildings and forcing residents to evacuate a neighbourhood in the occupied West Bank on Friday. This after two Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack that also left two Palestinian gunmen dead.

The shooting took place just days before the high-stakes general election next Tuesday, when Israeli voters will decide whether to give Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu another term.

Footage released by Israeli army from the helmet camera of a security officer shows a gun battle near Hebron on Friday. It is reported that two Palestinian men opened fire on a military checkpoint earlier in the morning, fatally shooting two Israeli soldiers and injuring three others, after which both the suspected attackers were killed by Israeli troops.

An emergency meeting of Netanyahu's security cabinet was convened in the hours following the attack.

The prime minister's office said it had instructed the army to immediately cordon off Hebron and prepare for a full closure of the West Bank.

Bulldozers started demolishing a residential building that was home to a Palestinian family persuant to Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's order, a policy of "collective punishment."

The residents were evacuated before the infrastructure was knocked down.

The Israeli forces said they had begun "conducting precise, targeted and thorough searches," adding in a statement that the operation was expected to last several days.

All residents living in the area will only be able to leave through three designated exit points after "questioning and security screening."

Meanwhile in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Palestinian farmers alongside Israeli volunteers continue the annual olive harvest that has been marked by a surge in settler violence. A number of Israeli soldiers are seen patrolling around the groves.

For local farmer Hiyam al-Qassas, the olive tree is regarded as the heritage and national identity of Palestine that strengthens their determination to remain on the land.

The co-founder of Israel's left-wing group Combatants for Peace also showed up to show solidarity.

Chen Alon said, "We came here, Israelis and Palestinians from Combatants for Peace, to harvest olives on land, which is a Palestinian land and kind of occupied all around by Jewish settlements."

"This is the most important non-violent action that we do in this season: showing solidarity with the farmers here and supporting their olive harvest together."