Netanyahu orders West Bank lockdown after Hebron checkpoint shooting
Five Israelis were wounded and two gunmen killed near Hebron, and Netanyahu ordered a cordon on the city and a full West Bank closure four days before Israel's election.
At a glance
- Two gunmen opened fire at a military checkpoint near Hebron in the occupied West Bank early on Friday, October 23, wounding five Israelis, two of them critically.
- Israeli forces killed both attackers; the military said their car held a large amount of ammunition meant for a bigger attack.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered an immediate cordon around Hebron and Halhul and preparations for a full closure of the whole West Bank from Friday.
- Netanyahu promised a West Bank operation "on a scale not seen since the Six-Day War"; Itamar Ben-Gvir called for the Palestinian Authority to be dismantled.
- The attack comes four days before Israel's general election on Tuesday, October 27.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a cordon around the city of Hebron and told the army to prepare a full lockdown of the occupied West Bank, after two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a military checkpoint near the city early on Friday, October 23, wounding five Israelis. Israeli forces killed both attackers. The closure, effective from Friday, comes four days before Israelis vote in a tight general election.
What happened at the Hebron checkpoint
The shooting took place at the Judea Junction checkpoint, known to Palestinians as Farsh al-Hawa, at the northern entrance to Hebron in the southern West Bank. A journalist who saw the incident described two men in ordinary clothes, one carrying a handgun and the other an automatic rifle, exchanging fire with Israeli troops before both were killed.
Israel's emergency medical service, Magen David Adom, said five Israelis were wounded, two of them critically. One early count put the number of wounded at six soldiers, so the exact toll may still change.
The Israeli military said soldiers "eliminated two terrorists" and continued to search the area. It said the men were armed with an M16 rifle and a handgun and that a large quantity of ammunition was found in their car. Military chief of staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir called the attack "serious" and said the ammunition showed the men intended a much larger attack.
Palestinian media named the two men as relatives from Hebron, both aged 27. Hamas praised the attack but did not claim responsibility.
| Detail | What is known |
|---|---|
| Date and time | Early Friday, October 23, 2026 |
| Place | Judea Junction (Farsh al-Hawa) checkpoint, northern Hebron |
| Wounded | 5 Israelis, 2 in critical condition (one count: 6) |
| Attackers | 2 men from Hebron, aged 27, both killed |
| Weapons | M16 rifle, handgun, large amount of ammunition |
| Response | Cordon on Hebron and Halhul; full West Bank closure prepared |
| Israeli election | Tuesday, October 27, 2026 |
Netanyahu's orders
Netanyahu's office said he had instructed the army and security forces to "immediately impose a cordon" on Hebron and to prepare a full closure of all of the West Bank, effective on Friday. He later announced closures of Hebron and the nearby town of Halhul.
Netanyahu praised the soldiers' courage and said they had prevented what could have been a major attack. He said forces would enter the neighbourhoods the attackers came from, evacuate residents and dismantle what he called terror infrastructure "house to house", pointing to earlier operations in refugee camps in the northern West Bank, where camps were levelled and thousands of residents displaced.
He also promised a very large West Bank operation "on a scale not seen since the Six-Day War" of 1967, without giving a date. Netanyahu cancelled his election events for the day.
A full closure usually means Palestinians cannot move between West Bank towns or travel into Israel for work, while checkpoints are sealed and roads blocked. Such closures can cut off hundreds of thousands of people from jobs, schools, hospitals and markets.
Reactions
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who lives in the Kiryat Arba settlement next to Hebron, called for the Palestinian Authority to be dismantled and demilitarised and for its "terror infrastructure" to be wiped out. There is no evidence the Palestinian Authority was linked to the attack.
Gadi Eisenkot, the former army chief who leads the main opposition bloc against Netanyahu, praised the troops' response and wished the wounded a full recovery.
Background: a tense West Bank
Tension in the West Bank has been rising for weeks. The olive harvest has been marked by a wave of attacks by extremist Israeli settlers on Palestinian farmers, and Israeli forces have carried out mass arrest raids across the territory.
According to a tally based on Palestinian health ministry figures, Israeli forces or settlers have killed 1,113 Palestinians in the West Bank since the Gaza war began in October 2023. Israeli figures show at least 49 Israelis, civilians and security forces, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or military operations in the West Bank over the same period.
In Gaza, a US-brokered ceasefire agreed last year remains fragile. Gaza health officials said Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least four people on Thursday, and say at least 1,500 Palestinians have been killed since the truce began. Israel accuses Hamas of rearming and breaking the deal; Hamas denies this.
Why it matters
The attack lands in the final days of an Israeli election campaign dominated by security and the war with Iran. Netanyahu's coalition has trailed Eisenkot's bloc in recent polls, and security incidents can shift a close race. A large new military operation in the West Bank would also risk more deaths and displacement, and add to pressure on the Palestinian Authority, which is already short of money.
For the wider region, including Pakistan and the Gulf states, any escalation in the West Bank adds to the strain on a Middle East already shaken by the Iran conflict and attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
What happens next
The army is expected to enforce the Hebron cordon and the wider closure from Friday, with searches in the attackers' neighbourhoods. It is not yet clear how long the full closure will last or when the larger operation Netanyahu announced will begin. Israelis vote on Tuesday, October 27, and the condition of the two critically wounded Israelis will be watched closely.
Questions people are asking
What happened near Hebron on October 23, 2026?
Two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at an Israeli military checkpoint at the Judea Junction near Hebron, wounding five Israelis, two critically, before Israeli forces shot both of them dead.
Is the West Bank under lockdown?
Netanyahu ordered an immediate cordon around Hebron and Halhul and told the army to prepare a full closure of the entire West Bank starting on Friday, October 23. Closures normally stop Palestinians moving between towns and into Israel.
Who carried out the Hebron checkpoint attack?
Palestinian media named the two men as relatives from Hebron, both aged 27. Hamas praised the attack but did not claim it, and there is no evidence the Palestinian Authority was involved.
