Netanyahu Orders West Bank Closure After Hebron Checkpoint Shooting
Five Israelis were wounded and two Palestinian gunmen killed at a Hebron checkpoint; Netanyahu ordered a West Bank lockdown four days before the election.
The story in focus
A shooting at an Israeli military checkpoint at the entrance to Hebron wounded five Israelis and left two Palestinian gunmen dead on Friday, 23 October 2026. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a full West Bank lockdown and a counterterrorism operation, four days before Israel's general election.
- Five Israelis were wounded, two critically, in the checkpoint shooting, according to Magen David Adom.
- The IDF said it found large quantities of ammunition in the attackers' vehicle.
- Netanyahu ordered the West Bank closed and the IDF began raids in Hebron and nearby villages.
What happened at the checkpoint
Israeli officials said two suspected Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a military checkpoint at the entrance to Hebron in the occupied West Bank. Israel's Magen David Adom ambulance service said five people were injured, two of them critically, and the Israel Defense Forces said security forces killed both attackers.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said at the scene that the attackers' vehicle held large quantities of weapons and ammunition, which he said suggested a larger attack may have been planned. The Israeli military said it believed the gunmen intended to strike the nearby Route 35 before encountering the checkpoint.
Closure, raids and political timing
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the entire West Bank closed, and the IDF said it launched a counterterrorism operation in Hebron and surrounding villages. The military said it had begun raids on the attackers' homes. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he had ordered the demolition of several Palestinian buildings next to the site.
The BBC reported the lockdown was to begin later on Friday and that the West Bank was already expected to be sealed for the general election on Monday and Tuesday, four days after the shooting. Netanyahu, campaigning on security, said his Likud party would cancel campaign events for the morning. Hamas did not claim responsibility but praised the shooting.
Context
The BBC, citing the UN, reported that at least 96 Palestinians and four Israelis had been killed in the West Bank since the start of the year.
When was the West Bank lockdown due to start?
The BBC reported it was to begin later on Friday, 23 October 2026, the day of the shooting. The West Bank had already been expected to be sealed for the election the following Monday and Tuesday.
Sources & further reading
- Netanyahu closes West Bank after thwarted potential ‘major attack’ ↗ABC News
- Five Israelis wounded and two suspected Palestinian attackers killed in West Bank shooting ↗BBC News
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