Five wounded in West Bank shooting attack near Hebron; IDF kills two suspected gunmen

Five Israelis were wounded, two critically, in a shooting attack at the Judea Junction on Route 35 near Hebron in the southern West Bank on Friday morning, emergency officials said (Reuters, Arab News).

Magen David Adom said five people had been wounded in the attack, with two in critical condition, one moderate and two mild, and that the casualties had been evacuated to hospitals (The Jerusalem Post). Israel National News reported the injured were taken to Hadassah Ein Kerem and Shaare Zedek hospitals in Jerusalem, quoting Shaare Zedek that the patients it received were in moderate condition, conscious and stable (Israel National News).

The Israel Defense Forces said soldiers rushed to the Judea Junction area after the early-morning shooting and killed two suspected attackers, with searches continuing and a cordon imposed (Reuters). The military also launched a manhunt for potential additional attackers and blocked Highway 35 in both directions (The Jerusalem Post).

Footage from the scene captured a rescue worker saying active shooting had continued for “over 20 minutes” before the gunmen were eliminated (Israel National News).

Walla reported that the attack had apparently targeted a reservists’ battalion, that the gunmen may have used the weather conditions to approach a checkpoint unnoticed, and that investigators consider the possibility of an ambush (The Jerusalem Post). No Palestinian group had claimed responsibility in initial reports (Free Press Journal).

The attack comes days ahead of Israel’s Knesset election on Tuesday 27 October (Arab News, Globes).