Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has canceled all of his campaign activities scheduled for Friday after a shooting in the occupied West Bank wounded five Israelis, two of whom are in critical condition. Two Palestinians, suspected of carrying out the attack, were killed by Israeli forces during the army's intervention. The serious incident occurred near the city of Hebron, just four days before Israel's October 27 parliamentary elections, adding to tensions in a region that has long been plagued by escalating violence.

Netanyahu's Likud party announced that the prime minister had ordered the cancellation of all morning political activities immediately after receiving information about the attack. According to the Israeli military, two gunmen opened fire near the Judea crossing on Route 35, and Israeli soldiers returned fire, killing both suspected attackers. "Following a gun attack at the Judea crossing, soldiers neutralized two terrorists," the Israeli military said in a statement.

The Israeli emergency service, Magen David Adom, confirmed that five people were injured, two of them in critical condition. Footage released from the scene showed a large presence of Israeli military forces, while a dead body was seen near a gas station. According to reports, the exchange of fire lasted for over 20 minutes, before Israeli forces killed the two Palestinians suspected of being the perpetrators. The attack has also provoked strong reactions in the Israeli government. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has called for the dissolution of the Palestinian Authority, warning that the West Bank could become another war front.

“We should not wait until there is an October 7 in the West Bank. That is where the next war will break out,” Ben-Gvir declared. He added that the Palestinian Authority must be dissolved and demilitarized. The event comes at a time of high tensions between Israelis and Palestinians. The West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967, has faced a significant increase in violence following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the ensuing war in the Gaza Strip.

According to an AFP tally based on Palestinian Health Ministry data, at least 1,113 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since October 2023, most by Israeli fire. According to UN figures, 37 of them were killed by Israeli settlers. During the same period, at least 49 Israelis have lost their lives, mostly from Palestinian attacks, but also during Israeli military operations.

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