Israel orders army to prepare to fully close West Bank after two soldiers killed in shooting

The Israeli government has ordered its army to prepare for a full closure of the occupied West Bank following a shooting near Hebron which killed two soldiers.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said it had told security forces to cordon off the city and be ready to fully shut all of the Palestinian territory.

The orders came after Israel's army said it killed two gunmen who had carried out a shooting in which Staff Sergeant Ron Yonatan Roytman and Sergeant Yuval Shai Svilem died and three other soldiers were injured.

The army said it prevented a "terror attack against Israeli civilians" and that the suspected gunmen - both Palestinians from Hebron - were armed with an M16 rifle and a handgun.

It said the men arrived at an Israeli military position, leading to an exchange of fire for 20 minutes, where the gunmen were killed by Israeli troops.

The army also said its forces prevented the men from getting further where the attack could have resulted in civilian casualties.

In a statement, Mr Netanyahu said: "It appears that Hamas terrorists were planning a major attack aimed at murdering innocent civilians, as evidenced by the large quantities of weapons and ammunition discovered.

"Our brave soldiers thwarted this attack with courage and determination. I commend them for their actions and wish our wounded a speedy recovery.

"I have instructed the IDF [Israel Defence Forces] and security forces to immediately cordon off the city of Hebron and take additional security measures to prevent terrorist attacks originating from Judea and Samaria."

The military has set up roadblocks and closures in Palestinian towns in the area.

A statement from emergency responders said gunfire was still ongoing as they arrived at the scene of the attack near the Yehuda Junction. The injured have been taken to hospitals in Israel.

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"We arrived at a difficult scene while shooting was still taking place in the area," said Tzuriel Edri with the response team.

The shooting comes as Israeli voters will decide next Tuesday whether to grant Mr Netanyahu yet another term as prime minister - or usher in a new era of Israeli politics.

The election comes three years after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza.

Israel's government had warned of potential attacks by the country's "enemies" in the lead-up to the election.

Sky News' Middle East correspondent Adam Parsons said that given the upcoming election, access to and from the West Bank was expected to be closed or tightly monitored on Monday and Tuesday.

He added: "It is worth saying that the election is very close at the moment between the bloc led by Benjamin Netanyahu, the incumbent prime minister, and the opposition coalition bloc led by the political novice, but former head of the military, Gadi Eisenkot.

"Netanyahu continues to put himself as being the man who can secure Israel's security.

"So, at a moment like this, with the election just a few days away, it is inevitable that he is going to use this as an example of the threats that Israel faces and position himself as the person who is best placed to lead the response."

Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's national security minister, said Friday's attack shows that Israel needs to restrict the Palestinians' freedom of movement in the West Bank.

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