Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a security lockdown in the West Bank after an attack by two Palestinian gunmen reportedly left five Israelis wounded.
The development comes days before the country’s general election, Naija News reports.
The two attackers were reportedly shot dead by Israeli troops during a gun battle on Friday after opening fire near a checkpoint close to the Palestinian city of Hebron.
Israel’s emergency medical service, Magen David Adom, said five Israelis were wounded in the attack, with two in critical condition.
One of the victims was said to have sustained a serious gunshot injury.
The Israeli military said its troops rushed to the Judea Junction area following the early-morning shooting and “eliminated two terrorists”.
According to Financial Times, journalists who witnessed the incident reported seeing the two Palestinian men armed with a handgun and an automatic rifle exchanging fire with Israeli forces at the Farsh al-Hawa checkpoint.
The gunmen were eventually killed, with their bodies later seen lying near a petrol station as Israeli troops secured the area.
Netanyahu, who is facing a tight contest in Tuesday’s election, said the troops had prevented what could have been a major attack, adding that the suspects allegedly had a large quantity of ammunition in their vehicle.
Following the incident, the Israeli leader ordered the cancellation of all political meetings organised by his Likud party on Friday.
“I salute the courage of our soldiers who acted with determination and prevented what could have been a major attack,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
He added that he had directed the Israeli military and security agencies to impose an immediate cordon around Hebron and prepare for a full lockdown of the West Bank.
“I have instructed the IDF (army) and security forces to impose an immediate cordon on the city of Hebron and to prepare for a full lockdown of all of Judea and Samaria starting today,” he said, using Israel’s biblical names for the occupied West Bank.
Netanyahu also said Israeli troops were stepping up operations against suspected militants and carrying out large-scale arrests.
The Israeli military confirmed that it had launched counter-terrorism operations in the Hebron area, including raids on the homes of the suspects and other locations.
The attack has also prompted calls from far-right Israeli politicians for a tougher military campaign in the West Bank.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for an offensive similar to Israel’s military operations in Gaza and Lebanon.
“There is no other option but a comprehensive military campaign in Judea and Samaria to dismantle the Palestinian Authority, collect weapons and eliminate terrorists. Exactly like in Gaza and Lebanon,” Smotrich said.
He added that the proposed campaign should be one of the first measures taken by the next Israeli government.
Smotrich later said he had ordered the immediate demolition of a large row of what he described as illegal Arab structures near the attack site.
Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, also called for the Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the occupied West Bank, to be dismantled and demilitarised.
He demanded that its alleged militant infrastructure be completely destroyed.
However, there was no evidence linking the Palestinian Authority to Friday’s attack.
Meanwhile, Hamas, the Palestinian militant group based in Gaza, praised the attack and mourned the two gunmen killed by Israeli troops.
The group, which carried out the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, described Friday’s incident as a natural and legitimate response to what it called ongoing Israeli crimes and attacks against Palestinians.
Although Hamas did not claim responsibility for the shooting, it urged its supporters to carry out further attacks.
The group called on those with weapons to mobilise against Israeli forces and settlers.
In response, Netanyahu vowed to pursue Hamas members wherever they were.
“You have no place to hide,” he said.
A former Israeli army chief and one of Netanyahu’s leading rivals in the election, Gadi Eisenkot, praised the response of Israeli troops and prayed for the recovery of those wounded.
Naija News understands that Friday’s attack comes amid rising tensions in the West Bank, including attacks by extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinian olive harvesters.
The incident also comes just days before Israelis head to the polls to elect their next government.
Reports also revealed that at least 49 Israelis, including civilians and security personnel, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations in the same period.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that Israeli forces and settlers have killed 1,113 Palestinians in the West Bank since the Gaza war began in October 2023.
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