'A Much Larger Scale': IDF Warns of Bigger Attack as Netanyahu Prepares West Bank Closure

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered security forces to cordon off Hebron and prepare for a wider West Bank closure on Friday, 23 October 2026, after a shooting wounded five Israelis near the city. Two of the wounded were in critical condition, according to Israel's Magen David Adom emergency service.

Israeli troops killed the two Palestinian gunmen during the confrontation, the military said.

IDF chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said ammunition found in their vehicle was intended for an attack 'on a much larger scale'. The warning came four days before Israel's parliamentary election.

Netanyahu's order called for an immediate closure around Hebron and preparations for restrictions across the occupied West Bank. The government had not established publicly when a comprehensive closure would take effect or exactly how it would operate.

IDF Warns of Larger Attack After Hebron Shooting

The shooting began near a military checkpoint outside Hebron on Friday morning. According to an initial Israeli military investigation, the gunmen arrived by car and opened fire with a rifle and a handgun after apparently failing to reach a nearby road where the IDF believes they had intended to attack Israeli civilians.

The gunfight lasted more than 20 minutes, according to the IDF's initial findings. Footage from the scene showed repeated bursts of gunfire, while an Israeli emergency responder said the shooting complicated efforts to remove the wounded.

After the confrontation, soldiers found a vehicle used by the gunmen containing what the IDF described as 'a large quantity' of ammunition. Zamir said the discovery suggested that the shooting at the checkpoint had interrupted a more serious assault.

'This was a serious terror attack,' Zamir said following a security assessment. He credited troops' rapid response with preventing further casualties and said the ammunition was intended 'to carry out an attack on a much larger scale'.

The military's account did not independently establish a larger attack plan or identify additional intended victims. The IDF and Israel's internal security agency were investigating whether the two gunmen acted alone or had received assistance or instructions from others.

Netanyahu vowed to pursue Hamas and anyone responsible for directing attacks. Hamas praised the shooting in a statement, although contemporary reporting differed over whether the group claimed responsibility. Its involvement in planning or directing the assault had not been independently established.

West Bank Closure Could Further Restrict Palestinian Movement

Israeli forces erected roadblocks and restricted movement around Hebron after the shooting. A wider closure would extend the restrictions far beyond the immediate area of the confrontation, potentially affecting journeys between Palestinian communities and access to Israel.

The West Bank already has an extensive network of barriers. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs documented 925 obstacles to movement as of December 2025, including checkpoints, road gates, roadblocks and earth mounds.

The agency said those measures affected Palestinians' ability to reach work, schools and health services.

A wider shutdown could also interrupt travel for Palestinians holding Israeli-issued entry or work permits. The exact consequences would depend on the measures introduced and any exemptions, neither of which had been fully detailed in the initial announcement.

West Bank Security Response Comes Days Before Israeli Election

The shooting took place ahead of Israel's parliamentary election on Tuesday, 27 October, the country's first since the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023. Security was already a central concern, and the military had raised its alert level before the violence in Hebron.

On Monday, Zamir ordered a temporary freeze on soldiers' leave beginning Thursday and additional deployments in the West Bank. Those steps were announced before Friday's shooting, rather than as a consequence of it.

Netanyahu, who has made national security a central part of his political appeal, convened senior security officials after the attack.

His election rival, former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot, expressed sympathy for the wounded. 'Together with all the people of Israel, I pray for the full and speedy recovery of those wounded in the attack,' he wrote on X.

The IDF said searches and intelligence operations would continue as investigators examined whether anyone else was involved. Its assessment of a potentially larger attack remained a military finding, with the wider plot and any organisational links still to be established.

Meanwhile, the immediate measures around Hebron were in force, but the scope and duration of a wider West Bank closure remained uncertain. Those details will determine how far the security response extends into ordinary Palestinian life as Israel approaches Tuesday's vote.