Three Hebron Residents Arrested Over Social Media Posts Praising West Bank Attack

Three residents of Hebron were arrested overnight on Sunday on suspicion of voicing support online for Friday's terrorist attack in the West Bank and for Hamas. Two soldiers, St.-Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem, were killed in the attack.

Police said the suspects published photographs of the attackers together with messages of praise and songs glorifying them. One of the three described the assault as "Operation Hebron." The IDF's Central Command monitored the online activity, and security forces then raided the suspects' homes during the night.

The investigation focuses on material the men posted after the attack. According to police, one suspect shared images of the attackers along with the words: "The right is mine and the land is mine. You have no place on our land. This morning, they are alive with their Lord, receiving their sustenance." A song in the background of the post, as quoted in the police statement, included the lines: "In paradise, they will not accept a life of humiliation. Indeed, they are the finest of men."

Investigators also found content urging armed conflict against Israel. Police said the third suspect circulated statements from religious figures and others calling on Arab and Islamic armies to mobilize for war against the "occupying Zionists." He added his own message: "O mighty Allah, victory is near, O Lord of the oppressed." A song attached to his post included the words: "Fight them, Allah will punish them by your hands and humiliate them, grant you victory over them, and heal the hearts of the believing people."

Police said these posts were part of many publications containing incitement and expressions of support for and identification with the enemy, including Hamas.

Once the posts were identified, officers from the Special Patrol Unit (YASAM) and detectives from the Israel Police's Judea and Samaria District searched the suspects' homes. They seized mobile phones and computers as evidence. The three men, who include individuals aged 17 and 50, were taken to the Hebron police station in the Judea region, where they remain in custody on suspicion of incitement and support for terrorism.

The arrests were part of a wider operation in Hebron by Judea and Samaria District police and IDF troops from the Judea Brigade, launched after Friday's attack. Security agencies are working together to monitor social media and to identify people who incite against Israel, back terrorism and its perpetrators, or glorify terrorists.

Police said they will keep acting against incitement and support for terrorism in public spaces and online, especially expressions of support for attacks on security forces.

Separately, the investigation into the attack itself is being run by the counterterrorism unit of the Judea and Samaria District's Central Investigations Unit. Investigators are also examining whether other people helped carry it out.