We and our partners do the following data processing based on your consent: store and/or access information on a device, personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development Netanyahu orders army to prepare for full West Bank closure after attack The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the army to prepare for a full closure of the occupied West Bank Friday after Israeli soldiers shot and killed two men who the military said had launched a "terror attack" near the city of Hebron. Emergency services said five people were injured and evacuated to hospitals. Israeli soldiers gather at the scene of a shooting attack at a junction near Hebron in the occupied West Bank on October 23, 2026. © Mahmoud Illean, AP Israeli soldiers shot and killed two men who the military said had launched an attack near the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank on Friday morning.
At least five people were injured, including some critically. A few hours later, Israel ordered the army to prepare for a full closure of the West Bank. The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it instructed security forces to immediately cordon off the city of Hebron and prepare to fully close all of the West Bank, starting Friday.
Earlier, the army said it prevented a "terror attack against Israeli civilians” and that the gunmen carried an M16 rifle and a handgun. It did not elaborate on the target of the alleged attack. There was also no word on the identities of the two dead and those injured.
The military subsequently set up roadblocks and closures in Palestinian towns in the area. Read moreIsraeli settlers attack European delegation convoy in West Bank, beat French mayor Emergency responders said five people were injured, some critically, and were being evacuated to hospitals in Israel. A statement from the responders said gunfire was still ongoing as they arrived at the scene of the attack near the Yehuda Junction in the morning.
Two men in their 20s had gunshot wounds to their lower limbs, one was unconscious and seriously injured, the responders said. The deadly shooting comes as Israeli voters will decide next Tuesday whether to grant Benjamin Netanyahu yet another term as prime minister – or usher in a new era of Israeli politics. The election comes three years after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza.
Israel's government has warned of potential attacks by the country's “enemies” in the lead-up to the election. Read more‘I don't recognise the country I grew up in anymore’: Some Israelis tempted by exile On Friday, Israel's far-right national security ministerItamar Ben-Gvir, known for extremist views, said that the Hebron attack shows that Israel needs to restrict the Palestinians' freedom of movement in the West Bank. Ahead of the anniversary of the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack that triggered the war, Netanyahu said the Palestinian militant group could attack Israel in a bid to influence the outcome of the elections.
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