Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the city of Hebron to be cordoned off and for the entire West Bank to be blocked from entry and exit starting on Friday morning, after five people were wounded in a terror attack in the area carried out by Hamas terrorists.
"I have instructed the IDF and security forces to immediately impose a closure on the city of Hebron and prepare for a full lockdown of all of Judea and Samaria, beginning today," Netanyahu said, adding that the IDF would be carrying out extensive waves of arrests.
"We will pursue Hamas terrorists and those who send them, wherever they are and at any time," Netanyahu said. "You have nowhere to hide."
Two soldiers were killed, and three were lightly injured in the attack, according to the IDF.
The military had announced earlier that morning that two terrorists involved in the attack had been killed. The IDF and the Shin Bet are investigating whether the two terrorists were part of a small self-contained cell or whether their vast ammunition shows that they were connected to a larger terror cell.
There were no other terrorists involved.
Netanyahu also said that the military would be applying the methods used in refugee camps, with the IDF going house-to-house and dismantling the terror infrastructure.
The prime minister explained that the model would be used in Hebron, while it could be expanded to other cities in the future if it shows that it's an effective way to fight terrorism in the area.
"We also wish to make another promise: the Defense Minister and I have overseen the planning of a very extensive IDF operation in Judea and Samaria -- on a scale not seen since the Six-Day War. The IDF is prepared to carry it out; we will determine the timing, but it is coming," he added.
What happened in the Hamas-backed attack near Hebron?
The two Palestinian terrorists were traveling in a car with an M4 machine gun and a pistol toward the Yehuda junction.
IDF sources estimated that they intended to go past the junction to carry out a larger attack on Route 35, which has many civilians.
However, when they saw how many soldiers were present at the Yehuda junction checkpoint, they realized they would not get through and decided to attack the soldiers there. There were initially around four soldiers on site.
Magen David Adom said that five people had been wounded in the attack, with two in critical condition, one moderate, and two mild. The mildly and moderately wounded people were evacuated to the hospital.
The two critically wounded people are receiving medical care, MDA said in a statement.
"We brought a man in his 20s into the ambulance. He was unconscious, suffering from gunshot wounds, and in extremely serious condition. We provided him with medical treatment," said MDA emergency medical technician Zuriel Edri.
"We evacuated additional wounded people to MDA ambulances that had arrived at the scene and immediately began transporting them to hospitals. Another person in extremely serious condition was treated by IDF medical personnel in a mobile intensive care unit."
The company commander, deputy battalion commander, a nearby deputy battalion 101 commander, and their various soldiers came to reinforce the soldiers who were initially taken by surprise.
The reinforcement forces eventually overwhelmed and killed the two terrorists, Hamouda and Firas Jua'ba. According to Army Radio, the pair were from the same family in Hebron, both aged 27, and both married with two children each.
Next, the IDF said that it had surrounded and cut off the Hebron and Chalchul areas to avoid copycat attacks and to arrest all potentially connected nearby Palestinians.
In addition, the IDF announced it would map out the houses of the two terrorists for sealing off and for eventual demolition, following the relevant legal proceedings.
The IDF also said that it would be checking all cars in the Jebin, Nablus, and Jericho areas to reduce the likelihood of copycat attackers.
"This was a serious attack," said IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir in a statement.
"The soldiers' swift actions prevented an even more serious attack and further harm to civilians and security forces. A large quantity of ammunition was found in the vehicle used by the terrorists to reach the scene of the attack, which was intended to be used to carry out an attack on a larger scale."
The soldiers who killed the two terrorists were part of the Ari Battalion from the IDF Search and Rescue Brigade.
Lt.-Col. L., the battalion's commander, commended the soldiers for their actions.
"The two terrorists were neutralized by the battalion’s combat soldiers, who acted with professionalism and were optimally deployed across the area as part of the effort to protect the residents of the State of Israel," L. said.
"Even during their very first operational deployment, the battalion’s soldiers demonstrated the importance of their mission and their operational readiness. Maintaining a high state of alert and operational vigilance, the soldiers engaged the enemy, acting with determination and speed to thwart the threat - all while ensuring no civilians were harmed - and successfully accomplished their mission."
Terror in the West Bank: 'The terrorist has been shooting for more than 20 minutes now!'
In a video recorded at the scene, a soldier can be heard saying that the terrorists had been actively shooting for over 20 minutes.
"The terrorist keeps shooting. There are still exchanges of fire with that son of a b***h terrorist. Our forces still haven't managed to get the wounded out," the person said in the video. "The terrorist has been shooting for more than 20 minutes now."
During the attack, several people used an armored ambulance that was nearby the scene for cover from the fire.
"Open the door, quickly!" one person at the scene shouted as the wounded were being evacuated.
"It's open," the paramedic replied.
"Get them in quickly (the wounded); we're getting out of here, come on! 442, get a paramedic out here now! Get him in quickly, get him in quickly!"