The incident has already begun to affect the ongoing election marketing campaign, with Netanyahu – who has constructed his marketing campaign on the promise of safety – saying that his Likud celebration would cancel marketing campaign occasions which had been set for Friday morning.

Speaking later from the scene, Netanyahu said that the army would “demolish this place and completely transform it,” referring to the Hebron neighbourhood where the attackers are said to have come from.

It is frequent for Israeli forces to demolish the properties of Palestinians who are suspected of carrying out attacks on Israelis – a apply Israeli rights teams have criticised as collective punishment.

Netanyahu likened his plans to earlier operations in West Bank refugee camps where residential buildings were demolished and hundreds were displaced.

He also said he had reviewed plans for the largest army operation in the West Bank in many years – though did not say when it could be carried out.

He added that he had imposed cordons around the metropolis of Hebron – which has around 200,000 residents – and the close by metropolis of Halhul.

Netanyahu’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for Israel to launch a marketing campaign in the West Bank “exactly like in Gaza or Lebanon,” while far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called for Israel to dismantle the Palestinian Authority.

On Thursday, Foreign Minister Israel Katz accused opposition leaders of undermining the authorities by criticising Netanyahu’s warnings of an attack forward of the election, saying they would be “responsible” for any future attack on the nation.

Opposition chiefs, including frontrunner Gadi Eisenkot and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, supplied their condolences to the households of the killed troops and praised these who killed the attackers.

The Israeli army said it had discovered a giant amount of ammunition in the attackers’ automobile, and that they believe the gunmen had supposed to carry out a much bigger attack on the close by Route 35, but ran into the checkpoint – so instead determined to open hearth there.

At least 96 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank since the begin of the 12 months, according to the UN.

Four Israelis, both safety forces and civilians, have been killed by Palestinians there over the same interval, the UN says – not including these killed in Friday’s attack.