Hebron Firefight Kills Two Soldiers, Closes West Bank

Two Israeli soldiers died on Friday when Palestinian gunmen opened fire near the Yehuda Junction outside Hebron. The Israeli army confirmed that the two attackers also died during the engagement. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the entire West Bank closed in response to the incident.

The military stated that the exchange of fire lasted approximately 20 minutes. The attackers, identified as Palestinians from Hebron, were armed with an M16 assault rifle and a handgun. Three other soldiers sustained light injuries. Emergency responders reported five people in total were taken to Israeli hospitals, with some listed as critically wounded. Two men in their 20s suffered gunshot wounds to their lower limbs, and one other person remained unconscious.

Tzuriel Edri, a member of the response team, described the scene as difficult because shooting was still active when responders arrived. An investigation into the attack is currently underway.

Netanyahu convened an emergency meeting with his security cabinet and senior military officials. His office announced that security forces would cordon off Hebron immediately and prepare to seal the territory. The prime minister attributed the attack to Hamas, claiming the group was planning a major offensive to kill civilians. He stated that his soldiers thwarted the plot with courage, though he provided no specific details about the planned attack.

Army chief of staff Eyal Zamir said troops found a large quantity of ammunition in a vehicle used by the gunmen. Zamir indicated the weapons were intended for a larger-scale operation. The military began precise searches in the specific part of Hebron where the attackers operated. Residents in that area can only leave through three designated points after passing security screening. The operation is expected to continue for several days.

Israeli forces conducted dozens of operations across the West Bank on Friday. They arrested dozens of suspects, including individuals affiliated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and seized weapons such as M16 rifles and submachine guns.

Voters in Israel will decide next Tuesday whether to grant Netanyahu another term. The prime minister suggested Hamas might attempt a strike to influence the election, though he offered no evidence for this claim. This is the fourth time in the past month that Israel has restricted movement by shutting gates and checkpoints. Brad Lander, a U.S. congressional candidate who was detained in the West Bank on Wednesday, described the closure as an effort to make Palestinian life impossible. Amnesty International has called the current olive harvest season a time of horror due to a surge in settler violence.

Netanyahu stated that the military would force Palestinians out of the specific Hebron neighborhood where the attackers originated. He compared this approach to Israel’s earlier assaults on two Palestinian refugee camps in 2025.