Israeli soldiers shot and killed two men near Hebron on Friday morning, in what the army said was an attack on Israeli civilians, the Associated Press reports from Hebron. At least five people were injured, some of them critically, near Yehuda Junction; emergency responders said gunfire was still going on when they arrived, and described two men in their twenties with gunshot wounds to their lower limbs, one of them unconscious and seriously hurt.
The army said its soldiers prevented a “terror attack against Israeli civilians,” that the gunmen carried an M16 rifle and a handgun, and that it set up roadblocks and closures in Palestinian towns in the area. No identities were released in the AP’s reporting.
A few hours later, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office instructed security forces to cordon off Hebron immediately and to prepare a full closure of the entire West Bank, starting Friday. The order lands at a charged moment: Israeli voters go to the polls on Tuesday, October 27, to decide whether Netanyahu gets another term as prime minister.
The Facts
- The shooting: Friday morning near Hebron; two men killed by Israeli soldiers; at least five injured, some critically, near Yehuda Junction (AP).
- The army’s account: the men launched an attack on civilians; they carried an M16 rifle and a handgun; roadblocks and closures followed in Palestinian towns.
- The closure order: Netanyahu’s office — Hebron cordoned immediately, a full West Bank closure prepared starting Friday.
- The timing: Israel votes Tuesday, October 27, on another Netanyahu term.
Sources: The Associated Press.
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