HEBRON, West Bank — Two Israeli soldiers were killed Friday when two suspected Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a military checkpoint at the entrance to Hebron in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military said, according to BBC News. Three other Israelis were wounded before the attackers were shot dead.
The military said it found a large quantity of ammunition in the attackers’ vehicle and believes they had intended a larger attack on nearby Route 35 but ran into the checkpoint. The Associated Press, via NPR, reported the army said the gunmen carried an M16 rifle and a handgun.
Hours later, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it had instructed security forces to immediately cordon off Hebron and prepare to fully close the West Bank starting Friday. “The lives of the residents of Judea and Samaria, of the settlers, the lives of the soldiers … are a million times more important than freedom of movement,” Netanyahu said, as quoted by NPR.
The attack lands four days before Israel’s general election. Netanyahu’s Likud cancelled Friday campaign events, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for a West Bank campaign “exactly like in Gaza or Lebanon,” and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir urged dismantling the Palestinian Authority, the BBC reported. Opposition leaders including Gadi Eisenkot and Naftali Bennett offered condolences.
The military began raids on the attackers’ homes. The UN says at least 96 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank this year, and four Israelis by Palestinians.
Sources: BBC News, NPR / The Associated Press
—
