IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir praised soldiers from the Home Front Command's Ari Battalion who eliminated the two Palestinian terrorists in a shooting attack near Hebron on Friday morning. Five people were wounded in the attack, including two critically. "The soldiers' swift action prevented an even more serious attack and further harm to civilians and security forces," Zamir said during a situational assessment with the Judea Brigade.
Two of the other wounded were listed in moderate condition and one was lightly wounded. Both terrorists killed in the attack were identified as Hamas affiliates.
Scene of the terrorist attack
According to security officials, the two terrorists had a large quantity of explosives in their vehicle and were on their way to carry out a major attack. Soldiers in the area were patrolling Route 35 as part of a routine dawn alert operation when the terrorists arrived at a checkpoint and opened fire on the troops. Four soldiers were stationed at the outpost, checking vehicles beside concrete barriers.
The close-range gunbattle lasted more than 20 minutes. The terrorists used automatic weapons and took cover as a deputy battalion commander from a nearby sector joined the fighting. The soldiers eventually flanked the terrorists and killed them.
Additional ammunition was found in the attackers' vehicle, reinforcing security officials' assessment that they had been planning a larger attack against civilians.
The assessment following the shooting attack was also attended by the head of the IDF Central Command, the head of the Operations Directorate, the head of Military Intelligence and other senior commanders. Details presented during the assessment indicated that the terrorists were killed by the deputy commander of the Ari Battalion and a company commander who rushed to the scene.
During the assessment, Zamir approved Central Command's plans to impose a full cordon around Hebron and additional villages in the area, alongside intensified efforts to carry out further arrests and strengthen intelligence operations in the region.
Zamir also instructed the military to prepare to deploy additional troops to Central Command as required by operational needs.
"This was a serious terrorist attack," Zamir said. "The soldiers' swift action prevented an even more serious attack and further harm to civilians and security forces. A large quantity of ammunition was found in the vehicle the terrorists used to reach the scene, intended for a much larger-scale attack."
Magen David Adom teams at the scene of the shooting attack on Route 35, near the Zekhukhit Junction
(Photo: MDA operational documentation)
After the IDF announced that it had imposed a cordon around villages in the area, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had instructed the IDF and security forces during a situational assessment "to immediately impose a cordon around Hebron and prepare for a full lockdown of all of Judea and Samaria beginning Friday."
An initial investigation found that the terrorists arrived in a vehicle bearing a yellow Israeli license plate and opened fire on people near the Judea Junction using a handgun and an M16 rifle before attempting to flee. Soldiers from the Ari Battalion (775) of the Home Front Command's Search and Rescue Brigade, who were deployed in the Judea sector on a defensive mission, returned fire.
Magen David Adom (MDA) medics and paramedics, working alongside an IDF medical team, treated the wounded and evacuated them to Shaare Zedek and Hadassah Ein Kerem hospitals in Jerusalem.
Tzuriel Edri, an MDA emergency medical technician who arrived at the scene, described the situation: "We arrived at a difficult scene while gunfire was still ongoing. We entered in a bulletproof ambulance and immediately began helping evacuate the wounded."
Footage of the shooting attack on Route 35, near the Zekhukhit Junction
(Video: Hatzalah Without Borders)
Ofer Ohana, a well-known local medical responder, filmed the exchange of fire and could be heard shouting: "The terrorist keeps shooting. The exchange of fire between the terrorist and our forces is continuing. We can't get the wounded out! There's been active gunfire for more than 20 minutes!"
The IDF has raised its alert level twice over the past month, first around the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks and again this week. On Monday, the IDF spokesperson announced that following a situational assessment conducted by Zamir, the military had decided to suspend leave across all units beginning Thursday.
Need for additional troops for home front missions
The Home Front Command's Ari Battalion was established over the past year to increase the number of combat troops available for deployment across various operational sectors, while also providing an additional force for home front missions. Ari is the fifth battalion in the Search and Rescue Brigade.
Shortly after the battalion's first company completed its operational training, the unit was placed on search-and-rescue alert as part of Operation Roaring Lion to provide support in the northern sector.
Following its establishment, the battalion joined the brigade's other battalions, which routinely operate under the IDF's Judea and Samaria Division.