Five Israeli soldiers were injured in a terrorist attack near Hebron in the southern Judea on Friday morning. Two of the soldiers later succumbed to their injuries. Two armed Palestinian terrorists opened fire at the Judea Junction on Route 35. Israeli soldiers returned fire and eliminated both attackers.
Two soldiers were killed in this morning’s shooting attack at a checkpoint near the West Bank city of Hebron this morning, the military announces.
The slain soldiers are named as Staff Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman, 23, from Ashkelon; and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem, 20, from Hod Hasharon.
They both served in the 775th “Ari” Battalion of the Home Front Command’s Search and Rescue Brigade. Roytman was a squad commander.
Three other soldiers of the battalion were injured in the shooting, in light and moderate conditions.
The two Palestinian gunmen were shot dead at the scene following a 20-minute gunfight with Israeli soldiers.
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) October 23, 2026
Gunfight lasted more than 20 minutes
According to initial findings by the Israeli military, the two terrorists were armed with an M16 assault rifle and a pistol. They arrived at the scene in a vehicle with Israeli license plates, opened fire, and then attempted to flee.
Soldiers from the Ari Battalion (775), which belongs to the rescue and training unit of the Home Front Command and is stationed in the region, returned fire. The two attackers were eliminated by a deputy battalion commander and a company commander.
The dramatic minutes of the attack were partially captured on video. The recordings feature sustained gunfire while rescue workers attempted to bring the injured to safety.
One responder reported that it had initially been impossible to move the injured out of the danger zone due to the ongoing gunfire. The exchange of fire had already lasted more than 20 minutes.
Magen David Adom (MDA) rescue personnel also had to work under difficult conditions. Paramedic Tzuriel Edri reported that his team had arrived at the scene while shooting was still ongoing. The responders drove into the danger zone in an armored ambulance to recover the injured.
“We could have woken up this morning to a terrible disaster.” Arab terrorists opened fire at IDF soldiers in Israel this morning, wounding 5 – C14 reports 👇
Eliya Aviv in pointed comments, “Prime Minister @Netanyahu warned that our enemies will try to harm us during this election period. We all thought and assumed that he was referring to Iran or, or to other, more volatile regions, but it appears that the Judea and Samaria region is also expected to heat up during this season, at this stage, in the run-up to the elections.” @Eliya_aviv
— C14 News | EN (@c14english) October 23, 2026
Army chief: More severe attack prevented
IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir convened a situation briefing within the area of responsibility of the Judea Brigade following the attack. Among those in attendance were the commander of the Central Command as well as senior representatives from the Operations and Military Intelligence directorates.
Zamir praised the soldiers’ rapid intervention. Their decisive action had prevented an even more severe terrorist attack and further casualties among civilians and security forces.
According to the Chief of Staff, security forces discovered large quantities of ammunition in the terrorists’ vehicle. This indicates that the attackers had planned an attack on a larger scale.
According to Israeli media reports, both eliminated terrorists were members of Hamas.
Army seals off Hebron
As an immediate response to the attack, the Israeli military ordered extensive security measures. Hebron and several surrounding Palestinian localities were sealed off. At the same time, security forces intensified their search for any possible additional suspects.
In addition to regular army units, soldiers from the Duvdevan special forces unit, Border Police personnel, and aircraft also participated in the operation.
Zamir approved the complete sealing off of Hebron and instructed security forces to intensify their intelligence efforts and measures to apprehend further suspects. Additional troops are also to be deployed to the Central Command if necessary.
According to Israeli media reports, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also ordered preparations for a comprehensive closure of Judea and Samaria.
The attack occurred just four days before the Israeli parliamentary elections on the coming Tuesday. Security forces are already on heightened alert. Following a situation assessment, the military leadership ordered additional precautionary measures this week.
Investigations into the precise sequence of events of the attack and into possible further suspects are ongoing.
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