Israel Orders West Bank Closure After Soldiers Kill Two Men Over Alleged Attack Near Hebron

Israeli soldiers shot and killed two men on Friday morning near the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, after the military said the pair had launched an attack. At least five people were wounded, some of them critically. The identities of the dead and the injured have not been made public.

The army said its troops stopped a "terror attack against Israeli civilians" and that the two gunmen were armed with an M16 rifle and a handgun. The military did not say what the intended target was.

A few hours later, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that security forces had been told to cordon off Hebron immediately and to prepare a full closure of the entire West Bank, beginning Friday.

The shooting came just days before Israeli voters decide on Tuesday whether to give Netanyahu another term or move the country into a new political era. The vote takes place three years after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel that set off the war in Gaza. Israel's government has cautioned that the country's "enemies" may try to strike in the run-up to the election.

After the incident, Netanyahu convened an emergency meeting of his Security Cabinet along with leaders of the main military and security agencies. He blamed Hamas, claiming the group was "planning a major attack aimed at murdering innocent civilians." He praised the troops, saying they "thwarted this attack with courage and determination," though he gave no detail on what the plot involved. He also wished the wounded a speedy recovery without saying whether they were soldiers or civilians.

Earlier in the day, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right figure known for extremist views, argued that the attack proved Israel must limit Palestinians' freedom of movement in the West Bank. "The lives of the residents of Judea and Samaria, of the settlers, the lives of the soldiers, the lives of the police officers, the lives of our fighters are a million times more important than freedom of movement," he said, using the Israeli term for the territory.

Emergency responders said five people were being taken to hospitals in Israel. They reported that gunfire was still under way when they reached the scene near the Yehuda Junction. Two men in their 20s suffered gunshot wounds to the lower limbs, and another victim was unconscious and seriously hurt. "We arrived at a difficult scene while shooting was still taking place in the area," said Tzuriel Edri of the response team. Authorities said an investigation was ongoing.

The army also said that on Friday its soldiers, working with Israeli security and intelligence services, carried out dozens of operations across the West Bank and detained dozens of people, including individuals linked to Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Troops also reported finding weapons such as M16 rifles and submachine guns.

Netanyahu had said ahead of the anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that Hamas might try to hit Israel in order to sway the election result, though he offered no evidence for that claim.

Closures like this one are becoming more frequent. It is the fourth time in the past month that Israel has imposed restrictions across the territory, shutting gates and checkpoints that link Palestinian villages to major roads. Israeli roads in the West Bank remain open to Israeli drivers, including settlers, who may face delays.