Netanyahu Shuts West Bank, Expels Hebron District After Ambush

Israel sealed the entire West Bank on Friday after a 20-minute firefight near Hebron killed two soldiers and two Palestinian gunmen. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his security cabinet with senior military and security officials, directed a cordon around Hebron, and ordered preparations to shut every crossing into the territory beginning that day.

The Israeli army said gunmen reached a military position outside Hebron near Yehuda Junction on Friday morning. Three other soldiers were lightly wounded. The two suspects were identified as Palestinians from Hebron carrying an M16 assault rifle and a handgun. The army said it stopped what it called a "terror attack against Israeli civilians."

Emergency responders reported five people hurt, some critically, and said hospitals in Israel took in two men in their 20s with gunshot wounds to the legs, along with one person who was unconscious and seriously injured. Tzuriel Edri of the response team said his unit reached the area while shooting was still going on. An investigation was under way, authorities said.

Netanyahu blamed Hamas for the attack, saying the group was "planning a major attack aimed at murdering innocent civilians." He did not describe what that attack would have involved. He also said "our brave soldiers thwarted this attack with courage and determination."

The army announced Friday that it had begun searches in the Hebron neighborhood where the gunmen operated. The operation was expected to take several days, with residents able to leave only through three designated exits after questioning and security screening. Troops started demolishing infrastructure the military called a threat. Army chief of staff Eyal Zamir said a large quantity of ammunition was found in a vehicle used by the attackers, intended for a larger-scale attack.

Across the West Bank on Friday, Israeli forces and security agencies carried out dozens of operations, arresting people including some linked to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and seizing M16 rifles and submachine guns.

Netanyahu said the military would push Palestinians out of the Hebron neighborhood the attackers came from, comparing it to Israeli operations at two Palestinian refugee camps in 2025. Human Rights Watch has said such expulsions amount to war crimes, a characterization Israel rejects. Brad Lander, a U.S. congressional candidate detained by Israeli forces on Wednesday who was in the West Bank on Friday, called the closure part of an effort "to take more control, to make Palestinian life impossible."

Israeli voters go to the polls next Tuesday to decide whether to grant Netanyahu another term. He said Hamas might attempt a strike to influence the vote but offered no evidence. This marks the fourth time in a month that Israel has restricted movement across the territory by closing gates and checkpoints linking Palestinian villages to main roads. Amnesty International described this year's olive harvest as "a season of horror" for Palestinian families amid a rise in settler violence. Human Rights Watch says expulsions amount to war crimes.

Netanyahu convened an emergency meeting of his security cabinet with senior military and security officials. His office said security forces were told to cordon off Hebron immediately and prepare to close the entire West Bank starting Friday. The army said it had begun "precise, targeted and thorough searches" in the part of Hebron where the gunmen were said to have operated.