Israeli soldiers and emergency personnel gather near ambulances following a shooting near the Yehuda intersection near Hebron in the occupied West Bank, Friday, October 23, 2026.
Mahmoud Illéan/AP
hide caption
Mahmoud Illéan/AP
HEBRON, West Bank — Israeli soldiers shot dead two men who the army said had launched an attack near the occupied West Bank city of Hebron on Friday morning. At least five people were injured, some seriously.
The army said it had prevented a “terrorist attack against Israeli civilians” and that the gunmen were carrying an M16 rifle and a handgun. He did not specify the target of the alleged attack. The identities of the two dead and the injured are also unknown.
Hours later, Israel ordered the army to prepare for a complete closure of the West Bank. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it had ordered security forces to immediately seal off the city of Hebron and prepare to completely shut down the entire West Bank starting Friday.
The deadly shooting comes as Israeli voters must decide next Tuesday whether to grant Netanyahu another term as prime minister – or usher in a new era of Israeli politics. The election comes three years after attacks by Hamas against Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.
The Israeli government has warned of possible attacks from the country’s “enemies” in the run-up to the elections.
Netanyahu holds emergency meeting
After the shooting, Netanyahu held an emergency meeting of his security cabinet and heads of key military and security agencies. He blamed Hamas, saying the militant group was “preparing a major attack aimed at murdering innocent civilians.”
“Our brave soldiers thwarted this attack with courage and determination,” he said, without elaborating on the implications of the planned attack.
“I congratulate them for their actions and wish a speedy recovery to our injured,” he added, without specifying whether they were soldiers or civilians.
Earlier on Friday, far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, known for his extremist views, said the attack showed that Israel must restrict the freedom of movement of Palestinians in the West Bank.
“The lives of the people of Judea and Samaria, the settlers, the lives of the soldiers, the lives of the police, the lives of our fighters are a million times more important than freedom of movement,” he said, using an Israeli reference to the West Bank.
On the eve of the anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that sparked the war, Netanyahu said the Palestinian militant group could attack Israel in a bid to influence the election outcome. He provided no evidence to support this claim.
The injured are evacuated to a hospital, according to doctors
Rescue workers said five people were injured, some seriously, and were being evacuated to hospitals in Israel. A statement from responders said shooting was still underway when they arrived at the scene of the attack, near the Yehuda junction, in the morning.
Two men in their twenties had gunshot wounds to their lower limbs, one of them was unconscious and seriously injured, emergency services said.
“We arrived at a difficult scene while shooting was still going on in the area,” said Tzuriel Edri, a member of the response team.
An investigation was underway, authorities said.
Also Friday, the military said Israeli soldiers and security and intelligence agencies had carried out dozens of operations in the West Bank and apprehended dozens of people, including those affiliated with the Hamas and Islamic Jihad militant groups. He also said he located weapons, including M16 rifles and submachine guns.
Closures of the West Bank, like the one ordered on Friday, are becoming more and more frequent in the territory. It is the fourth time in the past month that Israel has imposed restrictions across the region, closing gates and checkpoints connecting Palestinian villages to main roads.
Meanwhile, Israeli roads in the territory remain open to Israeli drivers, including settlers, who can still pass through the area but could face delays.
Gn headline
