Netanyahu Orders West Bank Lockdown After Two Gunmen Killed in Hebron Shooting That Wounded Five

Israeli soldiers shot and killed two Palestinian men near Hebron on Friday, Oct. 23, after a shooting attack that wounded five people. Hours later, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office ordered the army to cordon off Hebron and prepare a full closure of the West Bank, starting today.

Israel votes Tuesday, Oct. 27.

What happened at the checkpoint

Magen David Adom, Israel's emergency service, said it got the first report of multiple casualties around 7:15 a.m. local time near the Yehuda Junction, close to Hebron. Medics treated at least five people. Two were in critical condition.

The Israeli military said the two attackers carried an M16 rifle and a handgun. An AFP journalist at the scene watched two men with a handgun and an automatic rifle trade fire with Israeli forces at the Farsh al-Hawa checkpoint. Israeli reports put the exchange at about 20 minutes. The attackers' bodies were left beside a petrol station while troops patrolled the area.

The army said a large quantity of ammunition and weapons was found in the attackers' vehicle. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, speaking at the scene, said that led him to believe they may have been planning something bigger. The military said it believes the gunmen meant to hit nearby Route 35 but unexpectedly ran into the checkpoint.

The victims' identities are not settled. Middle East Eye reported the wounded were soldiers. Netanyahu did not say whether the injured were soldiers or civilians, and the army has not named the dead or the wounded. Israeli media reported the two attackers came from the same Hebron family, according to Middle East Eye.

Hamas did not claim the attack. It praised it and urged supporters to carry out more attacks on Israeli soldiers and settlers.

The lockdown order

Netanyahu held an emergency meeting with his Security Cabinet and top military and security chiefs. His office said it instructed forces to "impose a closure" on Hebron and prepare a "full lockdown" of the West Bank. It gave no details on how long the closure would last or what it would restrict.

The army said it placed Hebron "under a cordon" and launched what it called offensive counterterrorism operations in the city and surrounding villages. It said troops were in the homes of the gunmen and other suspects. Palestinian media reported raids in Dura, south of Hebron, where Israeli forces wounded at least one Palestinian man and arrested others.

Netanyahu also told Likud to cancel its campaign events for Friday morning.

Israeli media had already reported that the West Bank was expected to be sealed for the election on Monday and Tuesday, according to the Saudi Gazette. Today's order moves that closure up and widens its stated purpose.

Netanyahu's Hamas claim

Netanyahu blamed Hamas, saying the group was "planning a major attack aimed at murdering innocent civilians." He cited "large quantities of weapons and ammunition discovered." He has not said what evidence ties Hamas to these two men.

He has made a related argument before. Ahead of the Oct. 7 anniversary, Netanyahu said Hamas might strike Israel to influence the election. He offered no evidence for that either. His government has repeatedly warned of attacks by Israel's "enemies" before the vote.

Netanyahu has built his campaign on security. The election is widely viewed as a referendum on his leadership around the Hamas-led attacks of Oct. 7, 2023.

Pressure from the right

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir used the attack to renew his call to dismantle the Palestinian Authority. "The freedom of movement of Palestinian Authority residents is less important than our right to live," he said on X. He added: "We should not wait for another October 7 in the West Bank."

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich went further. "There is no alternative to a full-scale military campaign in Judea and Samaria to dismantle the Palestinian Authority, collect weapons and eliminate terrorist militants," he said.

Both ministers are pushing the government toward a far broader operation than a closure.

Hebron's holy site and a tense harvest season

Israeli forces also closed the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron and expelled its staff and custodians, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs. The ministry called it "a flagrant and ongoing violation of the sanctity of Islamic holy sites and freedom of worship." The Israeli military has not publicly addressed the mosque closure in the statements released so far.

The site is a UNESCO-recognized World Heritage Site. The ministry says it has faced mounting Israeli restrictions in recent months, including barring Muslim worshippers and limiting the call to prayer.

The attack landed during the olive harvest, which began earlier this month. Settler violence and military activity in the West Bank have surged over that period, and Palestinians, activists and American journalists have been among those attacked or detained.

What comes next

The army says it is still searching villages around Hebron and arresting people. Netanyahu's office has not said when the lockdown will lift or whether it will stretch through Tuesday's vote. Israelis go to the polls in four days with the West Bank sealed and the military operating across Hebron.