A video documents gunmen attacking the Hebron checkpoint... and Netanyahu threatens

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After the killing of two Palestinian gunmen who attacked an Israeli checkpoint near the city of Hebron in the West Bank, scenes spread of them before carrying out the attack.

Israeli channels broadcast scenes of the first moments of the attack on the Farsh al-Hawa checkpoint with automatic rifles, which turned into a clash that lasted about 20 minutes, before ending with the killing of the gunmen.

It was reported later that the two young men were from the Al-Jaba family and were called Hammoud and Firas.

Following the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the imposition of a “complete closure” on the occupied West Bank, where the army began offensive operations, after five Israelis were injured. Netanyahu, who is fighting an intense battle to win a new term in the elections on Tuesday, said that Israeli forces prevented a “large-scale attack” in the West Bank, noting that the attackers appeared to be carrying a large amount of ammunition in their vehicle.

He also added, "The Israeli army will enter the neighborhoods from which the two gunmen emerged, evacuate the residents, and search one house after another." He said: "We will first demolish this place and change it completely, and we will remove the weapons there as well."

He also confirmed that the forces "will impose a military cordon on the cities of Hebron and Halhul," hinting at the possibility of expanding operations to include other cities.

In turn, the far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that he had ordered the demolition of buildings close to the shooting site. “Following the attack, I ordered the immediate demolition of a long row of illegal Arab buildings adjacent to the site of the attack,” said Smotrich, who also holds a position in the Defense Ministry.

Meanwhile, the Israeli ambulance service Magen David Adom reported that the shooting resulted in five people being injured, two of whom were in critical condition.

While Hamas praised the "specific operation" near Hebron, and mourned the two attackers who were killed, without claiming responsibility for the attack.

This came days before the general elections scheduled for October 27 in Israel.

The incident also came amid escalating tension in the West Bank, which regularly witnesses attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians. At least 1,113 Palestinians, including gunmen, have been killed by soldiers or settlers’ bullets since the outbreak of war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas in 2023, according to data from the Palestinian Authority.