"No safe haven for Hamas," says Israel PM Netanyahu after terror attack in West Bank injures 5 people
Oct 23, 2026
Jerusalem [Israel], October 23 : 5 people were injured, 2 of them critically during a shooting incident in Hebron in the South West Bank in Israel. Israeli police said 2 gunmen involved in the terror attack were shot dead
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told the Times of Israel that the soldiers who killed the two Palestinian gunmen in the southern West Bank had prevented a more severe attack.
“This was a serious attack. The troops’ swift action prevented an even more serious attack and further harm to civilians and security forces,” he said.
Zamir says that “a large quantity of ammunition was found in the vehicle in which the terrorists arrived at the scene of the attack, which was intended to be used to carry out a larger-scale attack.”
According to the IDF, the gunmen were armed with an M16 rifle and a pistol, and they were shot dead by the deputy commander of the Home Front Command’s Ari Battalion and a company commander who rushed to the scene.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack and vowed that Israeli forces would continue to pursue Hamas who he said had no safe haven.
"I have just concluded a situation assessment with the Minister of Defence, the Chief of the General Staff, the Head of the Shin Bet, the Head of the National Security Council, and the Commander of Central Command. I commend our heroic fighters who acted with determination and prevented a major terrorist attack, and I wish a speedy recovery to our wounded. I have instructed the IDF and the security forces to immediately impose a closure on the city of Hebron and to prepare for a full lockdown across all of Judea and Samaria starting today. Our forces are operating with enhanced strength to thwart terrorism and are carrying out extensive waves of arrests. We will pursue Hamas terrorists and their dispatchers everywhere and at all times. You have no safe haven," Netanyahu said.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called for the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority after the incident.
“We have to act before it’s too late. The Palestinian Authority must be dismantled and demilitarized, and its terror infrastructure wiped out completely,” Ben Gvir said in a statement.
The attack comes five days ahead of Israel’s elections. Prime Minister Netanyahu meanwhile directed the cancellation of all political events planned for this morning on behalf of the Likud Party.