Story perspectives

IDF Arrests 70 After Gilad Farm Shooting; Netanyahu Orders Crackdown

7/26/2026

Summary

Story summary

The IDF arrested 70 suspects after a shooting near Gilad Farm killed Benayahu Melet, 32, and Yuval Ezra, 27.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a crackdown with troops, checkpoints and demolition of the attacker’s home.
Shin Bet Director David Zini called the attack “grave and painful,” warned Israelis not to take law into their own hands, and said Samaria Brigade’s search of 300 sites detained suspects in Tell and Tulkarm.

History

Historical Context

The 2024 crackdown ordered by Benjamin Netanyahu—new checkpoints, demolition of the Gilad Farm assailant’s home, and Shin Bet chief David Zini’s call for restraint—mirrors Israel’s 2002 Operation Defensive Shield. After the Passover bombing, Defense-Force Chief of Staff Moshe Ya’alon led an incursion that mobilized 30,000 reservists, demolished homes and arrested hundreds of suspects, establishing a tactic of arrests and demolitions that shapes Israeli-Palestinian tensions.

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Story summary

The IDF arrested 70 suspects after a shooting near Gilad Farm killed Benayahu Melet, 32, and Yuval Ezra, 27.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a crackdown with troops, checkpoints and demolition of the attacker’s home.
Shin Bet Director David Zini called the attack “grave and painful,” warned Israelis not to take law into their own hands, and said Samaria Brigade’s search of 300 sites detained suspects in Tell and Tulkarm.

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