Palestinian Gunmen Open Fire on Israelis in the West Bank, Officials Say

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Palestinian Gunmen Open Fire on Israelis in the West Bank, Officials Say

Five people were wounded in the attack, days before national elections, health workers said. The Israeli military said its soldiers had killed two assailants.

Palestinian gunmen opened fire on Israelis in the West Bank on Friday, the Israeli military said, just four days before national elections and against the backdrop of a broader uptick in violence in the occupied territory.

Five people were wounded in the attack, near the city of Hebron, including two who were in critical condition, according to Magen David Adom, Israel’s ambulance service. The Israeli military said its soldiers had killed two assailants.

Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the Israeli military’s chief of staff, said that “the troops’ swift action prevented an even more serious attack and further harm to civilians and security forces.” A large amount of ammunition was found in a vehicle used by the attackers, the military said.

Hours after the shooting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel ordered security forces to cordon off Hebron, the most populous city in the West Bank, and to prepare for a “lockdown” of the territory starting on Friday. He added that security forces were conducting extensive arrests.

Soldiers and police officers have launched “offensive counterterrorism operations in the Hebron area,” the military said. It added that soldiers were operating in the homes of the assailants and other suspects.

Violence has escalated in the West Bank since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in Gaza. Israeli forces have conducted sweeping military raids, saying they are seeking to root out Palestinian armed groups, displacing tens of thousands of people.

Palestinian gunmen have conducted shootings and stabbings against Israel civilians and soldiers. Last month, an Israeli man was shot and killed in the central West Bank, according to Israeli authorities, who said they had detained a Palestinian suspect over the attack.

Extremist settlers have carried out attacks on Palestinians, setting mosques and homes ablaze, stealing livestock and cutting down olive trees. That aggression has forced entire Palestinian communities to flee.

Settler attacks against Palestinians have escalated in recent weeks during the annual olive harvest, which is a cultural touchstone for Palestinians and an economic lifeline for many families.

Hamas praised the attack on Friday as a “heroic operation,” but it stopped short of taking credit.

The militant group also called on Palestinians bearing weapons to shoot “bullets at the chest of the occupiers, their soldiers and their criminal settlers.”

Yousef Jabari, the mayor of Hebron, said the Israeli authorities had closed off every way in and out of Hebron and shut down the Palestinian-run part of the Ibrahimi Mosque, a shrine in the city revered by Jews, Muslims and Christians as the burial place of Abraham. Jews refer to the Ibrahimi Mosque as the Tomb of Patriarchs.

“This is collective punishment against innocent people,” Mr. Jabari said in an interview. “Why should the entire city be besieged? Why should people with health appointments or social events in other cities be forced to stay home?”

Aaron Boxerman contributed reporting.

Adam Rasgon is a reporter for The Times in Jerusalem, covering Israeli and Palestinian affairs.

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