Palestinian militants wounded five Israelis in an attack on Friday before being killed in a prolonged shootout with IDF soldiers.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a lockdown in the occupied West Bank following the attack.
He blamed Hamas and said Israeli troops prevented what could have been a major attack, with the two assailants allegedly carrying a large quantity of ammunition in their vehicle.
An AFP journalist who witnessed the gun battle saw two Palestinian men armed with a handgun and an automatic rifle exchanging fire with Israeli forces at the Farsh al-Hawa checkpoint near the Palestinian city of Hebron.
Israeli forces eventually shot dead the attackers, with the reporter seeing their two lifeless bodies on the ground next to a petrol station as troops patrolled all around.
The two Palestinian gunmen have been identified as Mohammad Jaaba and Firas Jaaba, both 27-year-old residents of Hebron, according to the Times of Israel.
The Israeli military said soldiers had rushed to the Judea Junction area after the early morning attack and 'eliminated two terrorists'.
The attack wounded five people, two of whom were in critical condition, said Magen David Adom, Israel's emergency medical rescue service.
Pictured: One of two armed Palestinian men loads his firearm during a gun battle with the IDF at the northern checkpoint of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on October 23, 2026
The service said all five were Israelis in their 20s, including one man in 'very serious condition' with gunshot wounds.
It comes comes amid heightened security concerns in Israel as the country heads to the polls on Tuesday, the first since the October 7 massacre.
With the clock counting down to election day, Mr Netanyahu called for all Likud party political meetings to be cancelled Friday due to the attack.
He said: 'I salute the courage of our soldiers who acted with determination and prevented what could have been a major attack.
'I have instructed the IDF and security forces to impose an immediate cordon on the city of Hebron and to prepare for a full lockdown of all of Judea and Samaria starting today.'
Us sing the biblical name for the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the Israeli PM added that troops were 'carrying out stepped-up operations to thwart terrorist activities and are conducting large-scale waves of arrests'.
The military said it had 'launched offensive counter-terrorism operations in the Hebron area', adding that troops were raiding homes of the suspects and others.
Israeli national security minister and far-Right firebrand Itamar Ben Gvir, who has been rising in the polls, called for the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority to be dismantled because of the attack.
'The Palestinian Authority must be dismantled and demilitarised, and its terror infrastructure wiped out completely,' he said in a statement.
No evidence suggests that the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinian government in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, was connected to Friday's attack.
Hamas, which is based in Gaza and carried out the October 7, 2023 attack, the deadliest in Israel's history, hailed what it called an 'exceptional heroic operation' near Hebron and mourned the two dead assailants, without claiming responsibility.
The attack is a 'natural and legitimate response to the ongoing crimes and brutal attacks against our people', Hamas, the rival of the Palestinian Authority's ruling Fatah faction, said in a statement.
Mr Netanyahu in his statement vowed to 'pursue Hamas terrorists' everywhere, adding: 'You have no place to hide.'
Gadi Eisenkot, the former army chief who is Mr Netanyahu's top rival in the election, praised the response by troops.
'Like all Israelis, I pray for the complete and quick recovery of the injured,' he said.
The incident comes as tensions soar in the West Bank, including over attacks by extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinian olive harvesters, and days ahead of Israeli elections.
According to an AFP tally based on data from the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli forces or settlers have killed 1,113 Palestinians in the territory since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.
Israeli figures show at least 49 Israelis, including civilians and security personnel, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations during the same period.
The attack comes just days before Israelis head to the polls for the first time since the massacre on October 7, 2023.
Israeli security officials say the pair had initially planned to carry out a larger attack targeting Israeli civilians and were found with a large quantity of explosives and arms in their vehicles but were apprehended at a checkpoint where they opened fire.
The attackers reportedly belonged to the same family, although their exact relationship remains unclear.
Both were killed during an exchange of fire with IDF troops.
In a statement following the shooting, 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.'
Mr Netanyahu subsequently instructed the IDF and Israeli security forces to immediately cordon off Hebron and implement additional security measures to prevent further attacks originating from Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank.
He said: 'Our forces are operating with reinforcements to thwart terrorism and are carrying out extensive waves of arrests.
'We will pursue Hamas terrorists and those who sent them, wherever they are and at all times. You have nowhere to hide.'
The shooting comes just a day after Israeli media outlets reported that Hamas had issued an unusually explicit warning to Israel, threatening another attack comparable to the October 7 massacre three years ago.
Senior Hamas officials apparently conveyed the threat through United Nations humanitarian coordinator Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, warning that the organisation was prepared to strike inside Israel, across Judea and Samaria, and against Israeli interests overseas.
Hamas officials reportedly cited continued Israeli military operations in Gaza, changes to the military's deployment lines and the Palestinian Authority's decision to cancel elections as reasons for their warning.
This mornings attack unfolded at approximately 7.30am local time, when the gunmen arrived in a vehicle at a temporary military checkpoint near the exit from Hebron.
At the time, soldiers from the IDF Home Front Command's 775th 'Ari' Search and Rescue Battalion were conducting routine inspections of Palestinian vehicles leaving the city.
The gunmen opened fire, triggering an exchange of gunfire with Israeli troops.
The attack follows a series of Israeli counterterrorism operations across Judea and Samaria over the past week.
In a statement, the military said: 'Approximately 70 wanted individuals were apprehended, including individuals affiliated with the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations and inciters against the State of Israel and IDF soldiers.'
Security forces also reported seizing dozens of weapons, including M16 assault rifles, locally manufactured Carlo submachine guns and four explosive devices.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.