Hebron shooting: Netanyahu orders city sealed off, prepares West Bank closure
Four days before Israel's election, two gunmen wounded five Israelis near Hebron, two critically. Troops killed the attackers. Netanyahu ordered Hebron sealed off and a wider closure prepared.
Archive image · Photo: Sete Ruiz / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 (cropped and resized)
Two armed Palestinians opened fire near a checkpoint outside Hebron in the occupied West Bank on Friday morning. Five Israelis in their 20s were wounded, two of them critically, according to the Magen David Adom rescue service. Israeli troops shot dead both attackers. Military chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said ammunition found in their vehicle was meant for an attack "on a much larger scale."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered Hebron sealed off immediately and told security forces to prepare a full closure of the entire West Bank. According to AP, it is the fourth time in a month Israel has imposed such restrictions. Netanyahu blamed Hamas. Hamas praised the attack as a "heroic operation" but did not claim it, according to AFP. The army reported dozens of arrests in raids.
Far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich called for dismantling the Palestinian Authority and for a military offensive, respectively; AFP said there is no evidence linking the authority to the attack. Israel votes for a new parliament on Tuesday; Netanyahu cancelled Likud campaign events for Friday.
Sources
- AP (via ClickOnDetroit): Israel's military says it killed 2 men who had launched an attack in the occupied West Bank, 23.10.2026
- The Business Standard (AFP/BSS): Netanyahu orders West Bank closure as attack wounds Israelis before election, 23.10.2026
- IBTimes UK: IDF warns of bigger attack as Netanyahu prepares West Bank closure, 23.10.2026