Gates close across West Bank after shooting near Hebron

Israeli soldiers shot two men dead near Hebron on Friday morning, then shut the crossings.

The army said its troops stopped an attack on Israeli civilians. It said the two men carried an M16 rifle and a handgun. At least five people were wounded, some critically. The identities of the dead and injured have not been released.

Hours after the shooting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office ordered security forces to surround Hebron and prepare a full closure of the West Bank starting Friday. The restrictions mark the fourth time in the past month that Israel has shut gates and checkpoints linking Palestinian villages to main roads. Israeli roads in the territory stay open to Israeli drivers, including settlers, who may face delays.

The closure lands five days before voters decide Tuesday whether Netanyahu stays in office. The vote falls three years after the Hamas-led attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, which set off the war in Gaza. Netanyahu's government has warned that the country's enemies may try to strike ahead of the vote.

Netanyahu later met with his Security Cabinet alongside military and intelligence chiefs. He blamed Hamas, saying the group was "planning a major attack aimed at murdering innocent civilians." He also said troops "thwarted this attack with courage and determination." He gave no detail on what the plot involved.

Emergency teams reached the scene at Yehuda Junction while shooting was still going on. Tzuriel Edri of the response team said, "We arrived at a difficult scene while shooting was still taking place in the area." Two men in their 20s were hit in the lower limbs, and another victim was unconscious and seriously hurt. Five people were taken to hospitals in Israel. Authorities said an investigation was ongoing.

Earlier Friday, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said the attack showed why Palestinian movement in the West Bank must be limited. "The lives of the residents of Judea and Samaria, of the settlers, the lives of the soldiers, the lives of the police officers, the lives of our fighters are a million times more important than freedom of movement," he said. The army said Friday's operations across the territory led to dozens of arrests, including people linked to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and turned up M16 rifles and submachine guns.