HEBRON, West Bank — Israel is closing off Hebron, and its army is preparing to shut the whole West Bank. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced the orders Friday after two gunmen opened fire near the city, wounding five people before soldiers killed them.
In its own statement, the military said searches were still under way around Judea Junction, where the shooting happened, and that a cordon was in place. Reuters reported the army’s account that its troops killed the two men there.
What the men were aiming at is still unclear. The army, in the account carried by The Associated Press, called what happened a prevented “terror attack against Israeli civilians” and said the pair had an M16 rifle and a handgun between them.
Five people were hurt, some of them critically, emergency responders said. Responders who reached the Yehuda Junction area while gunfire was still going on said two men in their 20s had gunshot wounds to their lower limbs, and one was unconscious and seriously hurt. The wounded were being taken to hospitals in Israel.
For about 20 minutes the two sides traded fire. The soldiers in that fight were from the Ari Battalion, part of the Home Front Command, the military said.
Before issuing the orders, Netanyahu sat down with his top security chiefs — the defense minister, the IDF chief of staff, the Shin Bet director, the national security adviser and the Central Command commander. In a statement posted by the Prime Minister of Israel account on X, he said Hamas terrorists appeared to have been planning a major attack, pointing to the large quantities of weapons and ammunition discovered.
“We will pursue Hamas terrorists and those who sent them, wherever they are and at all times. You have nowhere to hide.”
— Benjamin Netanyahu
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said the soldiers had stopped a worse attack. “This was a serious attack. The troops’ swift action prevented an even more serious attack and further harm to civilians and security forces,” Zamir told the Times of Israel. A large quantity of ammunition was found in the vehicle the gunmen arrived in, he said.
The military has set up roadblocks and closures in Palestinian towns in the area.
Netanyahu cancelled his political meetings after the attack, which came days before a tight election race on Tuesday. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir demanded the complete dismantling of the Palestinian Authority, though officials presented no evidence linking the West Bank leadership to the shooting.
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