Netanyahu Orders West Bank Lockdown After Hebron Checkpoint Gun Battle Kills Two Palestinians
Five Israelis were wounded and two Palestinian assailants killed at the Farsh al-Hawa checkpoint near Hebron on Friday, prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to order a closure of the occupied West Bank. According to Netanyahu, troops intercepted what he described as a potentially major attack; he said the two assailants carried a large quantity of ammunition in their vehicle. An Agence France-Presse journalist at the scene reported that the two Palestinian men, armed with a handgun and an automatic rifle, exchanged fire with Israeli forces before soldiers shot and killed them. Their bodies remained beside a petrol station as troops patrolled the area. The order came days before Tuesday's Israeli election, in which Netanyahu is contesting a tight race for a new term.
Key facts
- Two Palestinian assailants were killed and five Israelis wounded near Hebron on Friday
- The gun battle occurred at the Farsh al-Hawa checkpoint near the Palestinian city of Hebron
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a lockdown of the occupied West Bank after the attack
- Netanyahu said troops prevented what could have been a major attack
- The assailants allegedly carried a large quantity of ammunition in their vehicle
- An Agence France-Presse journalist witnessed the two men exchanging fire with Israeli forces using a handgun and an automatic rifle
- Israeli forces shot and killed the attackers, leaving their bodies next to a petrol station
- The attack took place days before Tuesday's Israeli election, a tight race for Netanyahu
Entities
Artists
- Benjamin Netanyahu
Institutions
- Agence France-Presse
Locations
- West Bank
- Hebron
- Israel
- Farsh al-Hawa checkpoint