Two Israeli officers eliminated the terrorists responsible for Friday’s shooting near Hebron, before the response widened into searches, preparations for arrests and restrictions on access. The October 23 attack at Yehuda Junction on Route 35 killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three other people, according to later reports.
Two commanders confront the attackers
The military account presented during the subsequent security assessment credited a company commander and the second-in-command of the Ari Battalion with eliminating the pair. Ari belongs to the IDF’s Home Front Command. The officers had responded to the attack, and the terrorists were eliminated following a pursuit near the scene.
An M16 and a handgun were identified by the IDF as the attackers’ weapons. Channel 14’s recording provides footage of the attack in progress; it is embedded below with the broadcaster’s original publication link.
Video: Israel Channel 14. Original post: https://x.com/C14_news/status/2113540115611996304
Ammunition and follow-on orders
The search of the vehicle used by the terrorists produced a significant quantity of ammunition. For IDF chief Eyal Zamir, that finding pointed to preparations for a more extensive assault. This was the chief of staff’s assessment of the material recovered.
Zamir said the intervention had prevented further civilian and security-force casualties. His instructions went beyond the immediate engagement: expand intelligence work, intensify arrest activity and prepare additional forces for Central Command should they be required.
The IDF later announced that troops were surrounding Hebron and additional villages and entering the attackers’ residences. Its stated mission was to thwart terrorism in the area. The accompanying military footage records the follow-on operation, rather than the initial shooting.
Video: IDF Spokesperson's Unit. Forces operating in the Hebron area following the attack.
Two soldiers killed and a rescue under fire
The distinction matters to the sequence of events. The armed pursuit had ended with both terrorists eliminated, while the wider search and access-control measures continued around the city and neighboring communities.
Emergency crews faced continuing fire during the effort to reach and evacuate the injured. In recordings from the location, one responder directed soldiers toward a protected ambulance; another described shooting that was blocking casualty evacuation.
Initial medical reports described five casualties. Magen David Adom reported treating two critically injured people on site, and the other three were received in Jerusalem: Shaare Zedek reported two conscious men with moderate injuries, and Hadassah Ein Kerem reported a gunshot casualty in good condition. The Associated Press later reported that the attack killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three.