HEBRON — Israeli security forces killed two Palestinian gunmen Friday morning after a shooting attack near Hebron left five Israelis wounded, two of them critically, officials said.
The gunfire erupted in the southern West Bank near Judea Junction and the Israeli settlement of Telem. Israeli emergency service Magen David Adom said responders treated two victims in critical condition and transported three others with mild or moderate injuries to Shaare Zedek Medical Center and Hadassah Ein Kerem in Jerusalem, according to Israel National News.
Gun battle near military post
Israeli sources reported that two men driving a vehicle with Israeli license plates opened fire on soldiers near a checkpoint, Al Jazeera English reported. Walla reported that the assailants appeared to target an army reserve battalion, possibly using the morning weather conditions to approach undetected.
Audio and video recorded during the confrontation showed responders taking cover behind an armored ambulance during a firefight that witnesses and rescue personnel said lasted over 20 minutes, The Jerusalem Post reported. Magen David Adom emergency medical technician Zuriel Edri described arriving at a dangerous scene while shooting was still underway, evacuating an unconscious man in his 20s who had sustained severe gunshot wounds.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that soldiers shot and killed both attackers. Israeli Army Radio identified the two slain gunmen as Hamouda and Firas Jua’ba, both 27-year-old residents of Hebron. Israeli military chief of staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir said troops recovered a significant cache of ammunition inside the vehicle, stating that their actions disrupted a larger planned assault, according to The Jerusalem Post.
Netanyahu orders regional lockdown
Following the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he had instructed the military to seal Hebron and prepare a broader lockdown covering the entire West Bank, The Jerusalem Post reported. Netanyahu claimed that Hamas militants carried out the assault and warned that Israeli forces would pursue the perpetrators and organizers.
The Israeli military closed Highway 35 in both directions and shut down access to several neighboring villages while continuing a search of the area for potential accomplices. In response to the shooting, Netanyahu canceled several planned political appearances ahead of upcoming elections, Israeli outlets reported.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the location Friday and renewed calls for Israel to dissolve the Palestinian Authority, urging authorities to keep road blockades permanently in place.
Heightened regional tensions
Palestinian factions including Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine praised the shooting, calling it retaliation for Israeli military campaigns in the Gaza Strip and ongoing settler violence, according to Al Jazeera English.
The attack follows days of rising friction throughout the territory. On Thursday, Israeli forces detained 36 Palestinians across multiple West Bank governorates, including Jenin, Nablus, and Hebron, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. Palestinian monitoring groups, including the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, also reported an increase in clashes during the annual olive harvest, documenting 17 separate incidents on Thursday where Israeli settlers and security forces disrupted farmers, damaged olive trees, or fired live ammunition.
Israeli military personnel remain deployed around Hebron as searches continue for anyone who may have assisted the gunmen, while security forces begin enforcing movement restrictions across the West Bank.
