Two Israeli soldiers were killed and three others were wounded near Hebron on Friday, October 23, 2026, when two Palestinian gunmen opened fire near a military checkpoint. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered Hebron cordoned off and the West Bank prepared for full closure, setting off sweeping military operations ahead of national elections.
Hebron Shooting Leaves Two Soldiers Dead
Two soldiers were killed and three others suffered light injuries during a shooting attack that unfolded on Friday morning outside the West Bank city of Hebron, near the Yehuda Junction along Route 35. The military identified the fallen soldiers as Staff Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman, 23, from Ashkelon, and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem, 20, both serving as soldiers in the Ari Battalion (775) of the Search and Rescue Brigade. Three additional soldiers from the same battalion sustained light injuries in the incident.
Medical personnel from Magen David Adom (MDA) treated the wounded at the scene before evacuating them to Shaare Zedek Medical Center and Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem. Security officials noted that a large quantity of ammunition and explosives was recovered from the terrorists’ vehicle, which intelligence sources estimated was intended for a much larger attack. An MDA emergency medical technician, Tzuriel Edri, described rendering assistance and transferring casualties into ambulances, while someone at the scene filmed or recorded the exchange and shouted that the terrorist kept firing.
The soldiers’ swift actions prevented an even more serious attack and further harm to civilians and security forces. A large quantity of ammunition was found in the vehicle used by the terrorists to reach the scene of the attack, which was intended to be used to carry out an attack on a larger scale.
Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, Israeli army’s chief of staff
Netanyahu Orders West Bank Siege and Retaliation
Netanyahu pledged an aggressive military response in the attackers’ neighborhood. He stated that military forces would evacuate residents, go house-to-house, and destroy terrorist infrastructure using the successful model applied in refugee camps like Jenin and Tulkarm.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Friday of an imminent large-scale military operation in the occupied West Bank, after Palestinian gunmen wounded five Israelis in a shooting attack in Hebron.Speaking during a visit to Hebron, Netanyahu said Israeli forces… pic.twitter.com/3ghSNgKcWO
Defense Minister Israel Katz similarly drew a parallel to the Jenin refugee camp model. Human rights lawyer Mohammed Dahleh filed an urgent petition on behalf of local factory owners arguing that the threatened demolitions violated international law regarding collective punishment.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for a comprehensive military campaign to dismantle the Palestinian Authority, collect weapons, and eliminate terrorists exactly as in Gaza and Lebanon, while demanding the demolition of nearby buildings. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir asserted that the lives of settlers and soldiers surpass freedom of movement, and expanded firearm access for settlers. Yishai Fleisher, an international spokesperson for Hebron’s Jewish community and a political candidate for the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, declared that Israel must defend itself against a hostile majority.
Political Stakes Ahead of National Elections
The deadly confrontation occurred just four days before Israel’s parliamentary elections on October 27, marking the first national vote since the catastrophic security failures surrounding the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.
Following the shootout, security and intelligence agencies launched dozens of operations across the territory, apprehending dozens of individuals affiliated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad while recovering additional weapons caches including M16 rifles and submachine guns. Al Jazeera’s Marah Rayan reported on the unfolding regional implications, while the Foreign Press Association expressed deep alarm over allegations that an AFP photographer possessed prior knowledge of the attack, describing the claims as dangerous and defamatory.
The military announced that entry and exit points across the West Bank remained heavily restricted as security forces maintained an alert level ahead of Tuesday’s vote.
Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the full closure of the West Bank after suspected Palestinian gunmen were shot dead by Israeli soldiers.Five Israelis were wounded and two remain in critical condition after a 20-minute shoot-out at the Judea Junction near Hebron⤵️… pic.twitter.com/O8xv4NiLtc
More on West Bank
🔴 BREAKING: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he instructed the military "to prepare for a full closure" of the entire West Bank starting today, with open-source Telegram groups reporting many checkpoints already closed in the area. pic.twitter.com/wkUCisNQwH