JERUSALEM, October 24 (Aalimi Nation) – Israel imposed a full lockdown on the occupied West Bank and launched raids in towns across the territory after two Israeli soldiers were killed in a shooting attack near Hebron on Friday, according to Israeli officials and the military. The West Bank lockdown comes four days before Israel's national election.
The military said two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a temporary checkpoint at Judea Junction, west of Hebron, on Friday morning. Staff Sergeant Ron Yonatan Roytman, 23, and Sergeant Yuval Shai Svilem, 20, were killed. Israel's emergency medical service said five Israelis in their twenties were wounded, two of them critically, while the military put the number of wounded soldiers at three. Both attackers were killed in the exchange of fire.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the assailants carried a large amount of ammunition and that troops had prevented a larger attack. Hamas did not claim responsibility but praised the attack as a "heroic operation".
Mr Netanyahu ordered an immediate cordon around Hebron and a full lockdown of the West Bank. Nearly 1,000 checkpoints and gates are to be closed, affecting millions of Palestinians. On a visit to Hebron he said forces would enter the attackers' neighbourhood and go "from house to house". He said an extensive army operation was "on the way".
The army said late on Friday that its Hebron operation would continue "for several days", with activity in dozens of other areas. On Saturday, Palestinians and local correspondents reported raids on at least 15 towns in the northern West Bank, including Nablus, Jenin, Tubas and Qalqilya, with dozens of people detained. The number of detainees has not been confirmed by the military. In Hebron, a three-storey building was reportedly demolished and hundreds of families in one area were ordered to leave their homes. Israel's Supreme Court has reportedly issued a temporary injunction against further demolitions.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for tougher measures, including dismantling the Palestinian Authority. The reports say no evidence has linked the Authority to the attack. Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot praised the troops' response and offered prayers for the wounded.
Palestinian National Initiative secretary-general Mustafa Barghouti said the closure turns every city and village into "a small prison" and warned that collective punishment "will lead to explosions". The Israeli rights group B'Tselem and legal experts have said that punitive demolitions and forced evacuations amount to collective punishment and may constitute war crimes.
Violence in the West Bank has risen in recent weeks. The United Nations has reported more than 160 settler attacks in the first two weeks of October, many during the olive harvest. Palestinian health ministry data puts the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the territory at 1,113 since October 2023, while Israeli figures count at least 49 Israelis killed in the same period.
Israel votes on Tuesday, October 27, and Mr Netanyahu has cancelled party political meetings. The scale of the planned army operation, the duration of the closure and any further court ruling on demolitions remain unclear.
