Israeli forces have shot dead two Palestinians near Hebron in the occupied West Bank after what Israel claims was a shooting attack that wounded at least five people.
The Israeli military said it killed two suspected attackers on Friday near Hebron in the southern West Bank and was continuing searches, with a cordon imposed. It has not yet publicly provided evidence for its account, and the identities of the two have not been confirmed.
Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service said five people were wounded, two of them critically. Footage shared by rescuers showed a body in casual clothes on the ground next to a petrol station as Israeli forces patrolled the area.
Palestinian media, citing local and medical sources, reported that two Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire in Hebron after an armed incident, and that Israeli forces imposed a curfew on villages and towns around the city and closed main entrances with checkpoints.
The incident comes as tensions rise across the occupied West Bank and days before Israel's general election on 27 October.
Illegal Israeli settlers have stepped up attacks on Palestinian farmers during this year's olive harvest, which began on 20 September. In one day, at least 16 Palestinians were injured and 55 olive trees burned in illegal settler attacks across the occupied West Bank, according to medical and local sources.
The Palestinian Colonisation and Wall Resistance Commission said illegal settlers carried out 647 attacks in September, killing three Palestinians, and that more than 45,000 trees were cut down or damaged in the first half of 2026. Palestinian figures put the number of illegal settlers at about 750,000, living in 194 illegal settlements and 400 outposts.
The International Court of Justice ruled in July 2024 that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory is illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements.
