Israel conducts West Bank rescue operation amid internal dispute over Gaza prisoner deaths

Israeli security forces launched a rescue operation after two Israelis fled police and entered the West Bank village of Makhmas. Special forces and a combat helicopter were deployed amid fears of a possible kidnapping. The Israelis were located, their vehicle surrounded by stone‑throwing Palestinians, and the group was extracted. Subsequent inspections found no evidence of a kidnapping plot.

At the same time, Israeli political leaders renewed accusations over the handling of prisoner‑exchange negotiations following the deaths of Israeli detainees in Gaza. Minister of Heritage Amir Yisrael blamed retired Major‑General Nitsan Alon for the outcome, while Alon and the Likud party charged that political leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, rejected broader exchange deals, prolonging the conflict. The dispute highlighted divisions within the Israeli government over the Gaza war and prisoner‑swap policy.