Arutz Sheva / Israel National News, on West Bank, 25 October 2026

Arutz Sheva reports the shooting of two Palestinian men by Israeli occupation forces entirely in the army's vocabulary: they are "eliminated", never killed, and they are "terrorists" in the outlet's own voice, on the army's word alone, while other outlets covering the same event name them as Mohammad and Firas Jaaba. The two Israeli soldiers "fell in battle" rather than were shot dead. The article places the killings at "Judea Junction on Route 35" and never tells its reader that any of this happened in the occupied West Bank, and it leaves out that the army itself was pressing to classify the incident as an encounter rather than a terror attack.

Severe

out of 10

What we found

Writes the death out
Severe
“troops eliminated”
What the words do
The headline uses the army's word "eliminated" for the shooting dead of two men.
What a reader comes away believing
That a target was neutralised, not that soldiers shot two men dead.
What is actually the case
Other coverage of the same event states plainly that both men were killed in the confrontation. The word "killed" appears nowhere in this article.
How we know
- The Jerusalem Post reported“Both terrorists were killed during the confrontation.”IDF seals off homes of terrorists who committed fatal Hebron attack ahead of intended demolition (opens in a new tab)
Show it in the article
“eliminated two terrorists”
What the words do
Repeats "eliminated" in the opening sentence, in the outlet's own voice, for two deaths.
What a reader comes away believing
That the footage shows an operational outcome rather than two human beings being shot dead.
What is actually the case
The Jerusalem Post reports of the same incident that the officers "actively engaged the terrorists and killed them"; this article never uses the word killed of the two men.
How we know
- The Jerusalem Post reported“the deputy battalion commander actively engaged the terrorists and killed them”IDF pushing for Hebron attack to be classified as clash between soldiers, terrorists, not terror (opens in a new tab)
Show it in the article
“The gunfire eliminated the two terrorists”
What the words do
Makes "the gunfire" the actor and "eliminated" the act, removing the soldiers who fired from the sentence that carries the deaths.
What a reader comes away believing
That shooting happened and two people stopped existing, with no one doing the killing.
What is actually the case
The article's own account has soldiers charging and opening fire, and other coverage says the deputy battalion commander and the regional defence officer killed the two men.
How we know
- Elsewhere in the article“a soldier is seen charging at the terrorists while opening fire”
- The Jerusalem Post reported“actively engaged the terrorists and killed them”IDF pushing for Hebron attack to be classified as clash between soldiers, terrorists, not terror (opens in a new tab)
Show it in the article
“fell in battle”
What the words do
Uses "fell in battle" for the two named Israeli soldiers who were shot dead.
What a reader comes away believing
That the soldiers died in some general way, not that they were shot and killed.
What is actually the case
Other coverage of the same event states the two soldiers were killed in the attack. This article uses no word for killing anywhere.
How we know
- The Jerusalem Post reported“Staff Sergeant Ron Yonatan Roytman and Sergeant Yuval Shai Svilem were killed in the attack.”IDF seals off homes of terrorists who committed fatal Hebron attack ahead of intended demolition (opens in a new tab)
Show it in the article
Written straight
Israeli soldiers shot dead two Palestinian men, Mohammad and Firas Jaaba, during a gun battle at a junction on Route 35 in the occupied West Bank on Friday, in which two Israeli soldiers, Staff Sgt Ron Yonatan Roytman and Sgt Yuval Shai Svilem, were also shot dead.
Labels people on one side's word
Severe
“Judea Junction terrorists”
What the words do
The headline labels the two men killed as terrorists in the outlet's own voice, with no attribution.
What a reader comes away believing
That it is established fact that the two men were terrorists.
What is actually the case
The only basis in the article is army-published footage. The Jerusalem Post reports the army itself was pressing to classify the incident as an encounter between combat troops and two terrorists rather than a terrorist attack. The article never says the men were Palestinian, nor names them.
How we know
- The Jerusalem Post reported“The IDF is making an effort to characterize Friday's incident in Hebron as an encounter between combat troops and two terrorists, rather than a terrorist attack”IDF pushing for Hebron attack to be classified as clash between soldiers, terrorists, not terror (opens in a new tab)
- Times of Israel reported“sealed the homes of Mohammad and Firas Jaaba”IDF troops seal homes of 2 gunmen who killed 2 soldiers near Hebron (opens in a new tab)
Show it in the article
“the two terrorists from Hebron”
What the words do
Identifies the men only by the army's label and their city, in the outlet's voice, in the same sentence that names the two Israeli soldiers in full.
What a reader comes away believing
That the dead men have no identity beyond the label; the soldiers have names and ranks.
What is actually the case
The Times of Israel names them as Mohammad and Firas Jaaba and describes them as Palestinian gunmen. This article gives neither their names nor their nationality.
How we know
- Times of Israel reported“IDF troops sealed the homes of the two Palestinian gunmen”IDF troops seal homes of 2 gunmen who killed 2 soldiers near Hebron (opens in a new tab)
Show it in the article
Written straight
The Israeli army published footage of Friday's gun battle at a junction on Route 35 in the occupied West Bank, in which soldiers shot dead two Palestinian men from Hebron, Mohammad and Firas Jaaba. The army describes the two as terrorists.
Hedges the documented record
Serious
“the Judea Junction on Route 35”
What the words do
Locates the killings by a settler-era name and a road number only.
What a reader comes away believing
That this took place somewhere in Israel, on an ordinary road.
What is actually the case
The junction is in the occupied West Bank, near Hebron, where the ICJ ruled in July 2024 that Israel's occupation is unlawful. The words occupied and West Bank appear nowhere in the article.
How we know
- On the recordThe International Court of Justice's July 2024 advisory opinion found Israel's occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem unlawful.icj-cij.org (opens in a new tab)
- Times of Israel reported“at a checkpoint in the West Bank city of Hebron”IDF troops seal homes of 2 gunmen who killed 2 soldiers near Hebron (opens in a new tab)
Show it in the article
“Israeli forces”
What the words do
Describes the soldiers as operating with no indication of where or under what legal status.
What a reader comes away believing
That these are troops on Israeli ground performing routine duty.
What is actually the case
These are Israeli occupation forces deployed in the occupied West Bank, an occupation the ICJ has found unlawful, with the settlements illegal. The article never tells the reader this.
How we know
- On the recordThe International Court of Justice's July 2024 advisory opinion found Israel's occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem unlawful.icj-cij.org (opens in a new tab)
- On the recordThe International Court of Justice's July 2024 advisory opinion found Israel's settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem illegal under international law.icj-cij.org (opens in a new tab)
Show it in the article
Written straight
The shooting took place at a junction on Route 35 near Hebron in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli forces operate under an occupation the International Court of Justice ruled unlawful in July 2024.
One side gets the space
Minor
“The IDF published new footage on Sunday”
What the words do
Builds the whole article on material released by the army.
What a reader comes away believing
That the army's footage and account are the full record of the event.
What is actually the case
No Palestinian voice appears anywhere, and the two dead Palestinian men are never named, although the Times of Israel named them the same weekend.
How we know
- Times of Israel reported“the homes of Mohammad and Firas Jaaba”IDF troops seal homes of 2 gunmen who killed 2 soldiers near Hebron (opens in a new tab)
Show it in the article
Leaves out what changes the picture
Minor
What is missing
The article presents the army's footage as a record of bravery and leaves out that the army was pressing to classify the incident as an encounter between troops and gunmen rather than a terror attack, in order to deflect criticism of the Judea Regional Brigade's preparations. Without this a reader takes the army's release as a neutral record rather than part of a contested account.
How we know
- The Jerusalem Post reported“in an attempt to avoid professional criticism over the advance preparations of the Judea Regional Brigade”IDF pushing for Hebron attack to be classified as clash between soldiers, terrorists, not terror (opens in a new tab)
Show where it belongs

Every underline is part of a finding. Press one to see why.

Dramatic footage shows moments troops eliminated Judea Junction terrorists

The IDF published new footage on Sunday showing the moment Israeli forces eliminated two terrorists during Friday's fierce exchange of fire at the Judea Junction. During the shootout, which began when the two terrorists from Hebron attacked the troops, Staff Sergeant Ron Yonatan Roytman and Sergeant Yuval Shai Svilem fell in battle, and three other soldiers were wounded. The surveillance footage shows the exchange of fire between the terrorists and the Ari Battalion's deputy commander's team. During the battle, a soldier is seen charging at the terrorists while opening fire. Within moments, additional soldiers join him. The gunfire eliminated the two terrorists. The incident began when the terrorists arrived at the Judea Junction on Route 35 in a car and opened fire at the IDF forces operating there. An exchange of fire between the terrorists and the fighters lasted for more than 20 minutes. During the encounter, two fighters fell, and others were injured. Additional soldiers who rushed to the scene surrounded the terrorists and eliminated them.

What we found

Writes the death out

Labels people on one side's word

Hedges the documented record

One side gets the space

Leaves out what changes the picture

Dramatic footage shows moments troops eliminated Judea Junction terrorists

How other outlets reported it

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