Gunfire was still under way when emergency responders reached the Farsh al-Hawa checkpoint near the Palestinian city of Hebron on Friday morning. Five Israelis in their 20s were wounded after Palestinian gunmen opened fire on Israeli soldiers there, and two were in critical condition.
An AFP journalist at the scene saw two Palestinian men, armed with a handgun and an automatic rifle, exchanging fire with Israeli forces. Israeli soldiers killed both gunmen in the firefight at the checkpoint.
One of the wounded men was described as being in very serious condition with gunshot wounds and was evacuated to hospitals in Israel.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, then held an emergency meeting with his Security Cabinet and officials from senior military and security agencies.
He ordered the military and security forces to impose an immediate cordon on Hebron. He also instructed the army to prepare for a full lockdown across Judea and Samaria, the West Bank, starting that day.
In a statement, Netanyahu said: 'I salute the courage of our soldiers who acted with determination and prevented what could have been a major attack'. He said the two assailants were allegedly carrying a large quantity of ammunition in their vehicle.
The prime minister cancelled all Likud party political meetings scheduled for Friday because of the attack. The incident came days before Israeli elections on Tuesday.
Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel’s national security minister, called for the Palestinian Authority to be dismantled in response to the attack.
Hamas praised what it called an 'exceptional heroic operation' near Hebron and mourned the two dead assailants, while stopping short of claiming responsibility. The group said the attack was a 'natural and legitimate response to the ongoing crimes and brutal attacks against our people'.
It is the fourth time in the past month that Israel has imposed restrictions across the West Bank. Tensions have risen there amid attacks by extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinian olive harvesters.
According to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry data, Israeli forces or settlers have killed 1,113 Palestinians in the West Bank since the Gaza war began in October 2023. Israeli figures say at least 49 Israelis, including civilians and security personnel, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations over the same period.
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