At least five Israelis were injured, two critically, in a heroic shooting operation carried out on Friday by two Palestinians in occupied West Bank, Palestinian and Israeli media reported.
The two Palestinians arrived at the so-called Yehuda Junction, southeast of Al-Khalil (Hebron), in a vehicle with yellow license plates, Ynet reported, adding that they got out and opened fire on Israelis in the area.
Soldiers from the Ari Battalion of the Israeli occupation military Home Front Command’s Search and Rescue Brigade, deployed in the scene of the attack, returned fire and killed the two Palestinian, the Israeli media outlet said.
A clash that lasted twenty minutes… Scenes from the northern entrance to the city of Hebron, coinciding with the implementation of a shooting operation that resulted in the injury of 6 occupation army soldiers, including two in critical condition, and the death of the perpetrators.
— Middle East Observer (@ME_Observer_) October 23, 2026
It quoted a witness as saying that the gunfire lasted over 20 minutes, preventing evacuation of the wounded.
According to Israeli Army Radio, both Palestinians, Hamouda and Firas Jua’ba, were from the same family in Al-Khalil (Hebron), both aged 27, and both married with two children each.
Photos published by the AFP news agency appeared to show one of the two Palestinians who carried out a shooting attack in the southern West Bank.
Walla reported that the attack had apparently targeted a reservists’ battalion and had likely used the weather conditions to approach the checkpoint unnoticed.
Security Assessment and Al-Khlail Lockdown
Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir later arrived at the scene and held a security assessment with the head of Central Command, the heads of the Operations Directorate and Military Intelligence and other senior commanders.
Zamir approved preparations to impose a full cordon around Al-Khalil and nearby villages, intensify efforts to make additional arrests and strengthen intelligence operations in the area.
“This was a serious terrorist attack. The soldiers’ swift response prevented an even more severe attack and further casualties among civilians and security forces,” Zamir said, as quoted by Israeli media.
“A large quantity of ammunition was found in the vehicle used by the terrorists to reach the scene. It was intended for a larger-scale attack.”
After the attack, the city of Hebron was placed under lockdown, and several surrounding villages were closed, the occupation military said.
The shooting operation comes as attacks by Israeli occupation army and settlers against Palestinians and their land in the occupied West Bank have intensified during the olive harvest season that began earlier this month.
Palestinian figures indicate that around 750,000 Israeli occupiers live in the West Bank, including occupied East Al-Quds (Jerusalem), across 194 settlements and approximately 400 outposts.
Israeli settlements built on occupied Palestinian land are considered illegal under international law.
Source: Al-Manar English Website