At least five Israeli citizens have been injured, two of them in critical condition, in a shooting attack registered in the south of the West Bank, according to Israeli emergency services. After the shooting, the Army reported the death of two assailants and the imposition of a "cordon" around the city of Hebron.
The emergency service Magen David Adom (Red Star of David) has stated in a message on social media that its teams have treated five injured, "including two in critical condition." All those affected have been transferred to the hospitals of Shaarei Zedek and Hadassah Ein Kerem.
Security sources cited by the newspaper 'The Times of Israel' have indicated that the alleged attackers are Mohamad Yaaba and Firas Yaaba, both 27 years old and residents of Hebron. They would be relatives, although the exact relationship between them has not yet been clarified.
The Israel Defense Forces have specified that their forces have shot down two "terrorists" after the attack, which occurred at a crossing on Route 35, near Hebron. They also explained that the troops have imposed a "total cordon" around the city and its surroundings and have begun searches "in the homes of the terrorists and other suspects."
In this context, the Army has recalled that in the last week it has arrested "more than 70 wanted persons" in various operations in the West Bank, including individuals "affiliated with Hamas and the Palestinian Authority." During these operations, dozens of weapons and four explosive devices would have been confiscated.
The "closure" of Hebron has been adopted by order of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has also instructed to prepare a "total closure" of the West Bank starting this Friday. In addition, he has assured that the "terrorists" of Hamas "have no place to hide."
The Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, has described what happened as a "difficult morning" and has reiterated his demand for the "dismantling" of the Palestinian Authority. "We cannot allow the existence of a 'terrorist state' in Judea and Samaria," he has stated, referring to a future Palestinian state and using the biblical term for the West Bank.
"They must be dismantled. We must put an end to the shared circulation that both Jews and residents of the Palestinian Authority use. The freedom of movement of the residents of the Palestinian Authority is less important than our right to life," added the far-right politician in a message on social media.
Reactions from Hamas and Islamic Jihad
The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), which has not formally claimed responsibility for the shooting, described the attack as "a heroic and qualitative operation" that "demonstrates the will of the persevering people" and "is a clear message to the Zionist enemy," according to the Palestinian newspaper 'Filastin'.
"Our resistance will continue and will increase in strength and ferocity until the occupation is expelled from our land and our holy places," it stated, emphasizing that the action near Hebron "is a legitimate response to the crimes and brutal attacks" against the Palestinians.
"Our people, steadfast and determined, will not surrender or yield. They will continue on the path of resistance and rejection of occupation, injustice, and aggression," Hamas has stated, insisting that Palestinians "will not lay down their arms until the aggression ceases and the occupation ends."
In this regard, the movement has called on the Palestinian population to "fully mobilize" and "set the land ablaze beneath the feet of the invaders and settlers who have sown chaos in the proud land of the West Bank." "We urge all those who carry arms, as well as our rebellious youth, to direct their bullets towards the chests of the occupiers," it added.
In the same vein, the Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, have urged Palestinians in the West Bank to "increase confrontation and directly combat the occupying forces and settler gangs through all available means." "The enemy only understands the language of force," they emphasized.
The attack occurs in a context of rising violence from settlers and incursions by the Israeli Army in the West Bank since the attacks on October 7, 2023. In the months prior to that year, the highest number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since the Second Intifada, two decades ago, had already been recorded.