In brief
At a military checkpoint on the outskirts of Hebron, an exchange of gunfire left five Israeli soldiers wounded and two suspected Palestinian attackers dead. Footage shared online shows the clash in its early stages. The Israeli military later found a large cache of ammunition in the gunmen’s vehicle, suggesting a planned larger attack on Route 35 that was aborted when the checkpoint was encountered. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has signalled a possible full lockdown of the West Bank ahead of the nation’s election, pointing to heightened security concerns.
Five Israelis have been wounded and two suspected Palestinian attackers killed by Israeli security forces following a shooting in the occupied West Bank, Israeli officials say.
Unverified footage shared on social media shows an intense gun battle between soldiers and the gunmen at a military checkpoint at the entrance to the city of Hebron.
The attack comes at a time of high tensions in the West Bank, with extremist Jewish settlers targeting Palestinians during the annual olive harvest, and Israel’s general election taking place in four days time.
The Israeli military said it had found a large quantity of ammunition in the attackers’ vehicle. The military said they believe the gunmen had intended to carry out a much larger attack on the nearby Route 35, but unexpectedly ran into the checkpoint – so instead decided to open fire there.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has built his election campaign on promising security, said he had instructed the military to prepare for a full lockdown of the West Bank, beginning later on Friday. The West Bank was already expected to be placed under lockdown for the election on Monday and Tuesday, according to Israeli media.
Netanyahu added that his Likud party would cancel campaign events for the morning.
