A 20-minute gunfight unfolded in the West Bank this morning when two Palestinian gunmen opened fire on an IDF checkpoint near the city of Hebron. The Times of Israel reports that two soldiers, Staff Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman, 23, and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem, 20, were killed in the attack, and three others were wounded before the gunmen were killed. Additional soldiers and ambulances rushed to the scene but also came under fire. An armored ambulance provided critical cover, allowing soldiers to return fire and regain control of the situation.
One surveillance video showed the gunmen exiting their car, firing at the checkpoint, before retreating. Later, the gunmen were seen climbing over a fence in the area.
“Take cover, come to the ambulance, it’s bulletproof,” a medic could be heard calling out in one clip, as gunshots rang out.
“We haven’t yet managed to extract the wounded; there’s been active shooting for more than 20 minutes,” he could be heard saying in another video.
Photos published by the AFP news agency showed the moments of the attack. AFP said their Hebron-based photographer was en route to another assignment when he witnessed the gun battle break out at the checkpoint.
The deputy commander of the Ari Battalion, a company commander, and an officer of the Paratroopers Brigade’s 101st Battalion who was stationed nearby rushed to the scene, flanked the two gunmen on the side street, and killed them.
The IDF and Shin Bet are investigating whether the two gunmen were acting on behalf of a larger terrorist network. In response to the attack, troops launched raids on the perpetrators’ homes near Hebron. Authorities also discovered ammunition in the gunmen’s vehicle, suggesting that they may have been planning a larger attack.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a lockdown in the West Bank and Gaza as a security measure following the attack. He stated, “Our forces are operating with increased intensity to thwart terrorism and are carrying out extensive waves of arrest. We will pursue Hamas terrorists and those who send them, everywhere and at all times. You have no safe haven.”
Praise God that the ambulance arrived when it did. Its armored protection provided vital cover for those under fire, potentially preventing further casualties and allowing emergency responders to assist the wounded. We pray for the Roytman and Svilem families as they mourn their loved ones, as well as for the full recovery of the three wounded soldiers receiving treatment in Jerusalem.