Two Suspects Killed After West Bank Attack Injures Five Israelis

WHO:

Al Jazeera - US Democratic congressional candidate Brad Lander was briefly detained by the Israeli military while volunteering to help Palestinian farmers harvest olives in the West Bank.

ABC News - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered security measures after the shooting.

ABC News - Two Palestinian gunmen were killed by Israeli security forces, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

ABC News - IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said the attackers’ vehicle contained large quantities of ammunition and weapons.

Fox News - Two suspected gunmen were killed by the IDF.

Al Jazeera - Netanyahu said he ordered a full lockdown of the occupied West Bank.

Al Jazeera - Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for Israel to take full control of the West Bank and said: “The Palestinian Authority must be dismantled and demilitarised, and its terror infrastructure wiped out completely.”

Al Jazeera - Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine praised the checkpoint attack and urged intensified confrontations with Israeli soldiers and settlers.

Al Jazeera - Al Jazeera correspondent Nida Ibrahim said settler attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank had increased.

WHAT:

Al Jazeera - Hamas praised the checkpoint attack and urged supporters to carry out further attacks against Israeli soldiers and settlers.

Al Jazeera - The Israeli military was later reported to have arrested two Palestinians and locked down Hebron.

Al Jazeera - Netanyahu cancelled a series of election-related engagements.

ABC News - A shooting at an Israeli military checkpoint injured five people; two were in critical condition, according to Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency medical service.

Fox News - The shooting wounded five Israelis.

ABC News - Netanyahu ordered the entire West Bank closed, and the IDF launched a counterterrorism operation in Hebron and surrounding villages.

Al Jazeera - Netanyahu said security forces had prevented a “major attack” and ordered Hebron closed, with preparations for a full lockdown across “all of Judea and Samaria [the Israeli term for the West Bank]”.

Al Jazeera - At least five Israeli soldiers were reported injured, including two in critical condition.

Al Jazeera - Witnesses said the shooting lasted 20 minutes, complicating the evacuation of the injured.

Al Jazeera - Israeli forces arrested 36 Palestinians during West Bank raids; reported arrests included 10 in Jenin governorate, six in the Hebron area, 14 in Khirbet Jawaya, three elsewhere in Hebron governorate, and three in Nablus and Jerusalem governorates.

Al Jazeera - The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission said it documented 17 attacks by Israeli forces and settlers against Palestinian farmers and their land during the olive harvest.

IJR - Netanyahu’s office ordered Hebron cordoned off and preparations made for a West Bank closure.

WHERE:

ABC News - The shooting occurred in Hebron, in the West Bank.

Fox News - The shooting was near Judea Junction in the southern West Bank.

Al Jazeera - The Israeli military said the gunmen attacked a reserve battalion near the Israeli settlement of Telem.

Al Jazeera - Reported olive-harvest attacks occurred in Hebron, Qalqilya, Nablus, Ramallah and el-Bireh, Jenin, and Salfit governorates.

WHEN:

BBC News - The attack occurred four days before Israel’s general election.

WHY:

ABC News - Zamir said the weapons and ammunition in the attackers’ vehicle led him to believe they might have been planning a larger attack.

Al Jazeera - Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the PFLP characterized the attack as a response to Israeli military operations, settler violence, and Israel’s war in Gaza.

Al Jazeera - The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission said the farmer attacks undermined Palestinians’ ability to access and cultivate their land and maintain their livelihoods.

HOW:

Al Jazeera - Israeli sources said two Palestinians in a car with an Israeli licence plate began shooting toward soldiers near one of Hebron’s military checkpoints.

Al Jazeera - The commission said attacks on farmers included assaults, blocking access to land, theft of crops and equipment, damage to or burning of olive trees, arrests, threats at gunpoint, and live fire.

(UPDATED October 23, 2026 14:21 UTC)

A shooting at a military checkpoint near Hebron wounded five Israelis, with two reported in critical condition. Israeli forces killed two Palestinian gunmen, and the military chief said their vehicle held substantial quantities of weapons and ammunition, suggesting a larger attack may have been planned. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered Hebron closed and a wider West Bank lockdown, while Israeli forces began an operation in the area and arrested Palestinians in raids. Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups praised the attack and called for further confrontations, describing it as a response to Israeli operations and settler violence. Netanyahu also cancelled election-related engagements ahead of Israel’s general election. Separately, Democratic congressional candidate Brad Lander was briefly detained by Israeli forces while volunteering with Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest. A Palestinian commission reported attacks on farmers and their land across several West Bank areas.

(UPDATED October 23, 2026 12:01 UTC)

A shooting at a military checkpoint in Hebron wounded five people, with two reported in critical condition. Israeli forces killed two suspected Palestinian gunmen, who officials said had large quantities of weapons and ammunition in their vehicle, possibly indicating plans for a larger attack. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered Hebron closed and preparations for a wider West Bank lockdown, while the military launched an operation in Hebron and nearby villages. Forces also arrested Palestinians in raids, and two people were detained as the military locked down the city. Hamas and other Palestinian groups praised the checkpoint attack and urged further confrontations. Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for Israel to take full control of the West Bank. Separately, a US Democratic congressional candidate was briefly detained while volunteering with Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest, amid reports of rising settler attacks on farmers and their land.

(UPDATED October 23, 2026 11:04 UTC)

A shooting at an Israeli military checkpoint near Hebron wounded five people, with two reported in critical condition. The Israeli military said two Palestinian gunmen opened fire from a car near a reserve battalion and were killed by security forces. The attackers’ vehicle contained large quantities of weapons and ammunition, leading the military chief to say they may have been planning a larger attack. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered Hebron closed and security forces to prepare for a wider West Bank lockdown, while the military launched an operation in Hebron and nearby villages. Israeli forces also arrested 36 Palestinians during raids across the West Bank. Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine praised the attack and urged further confrontations. Separately, a Palestinian commission documented 17 attacks on farmers during the olive harvest, including assaults, crop theft and damage to trees.\ End