Five Israelis were wounded, two of them critically, in a Palestinian terrorist shooting attack near Judea Junction in the southern Har Chevron area early Friday morning. Two terrorists were eliminated by IDF soldiers following a prolonged exchange of gunfire and a manhunt.

The attack unfolded at approximately 7:15 a.m., when terrorists opened fire near the junction, wounding five Israelis. Two victims sustained critical injuries, while the other three suffered injuries ranging from light to moderate.

Emergency responders from Magen David Adom (MDA) and United Hatzalah rushed to the scene, but ongoing terrorist gunfire complicated efforts to evacuate the wounded.

Dramatic footage from the scene captured the sounds of sustained gunfire as emergency personnel attempted to reach the victims.

In one recording, a rescue worker can be heard shouting that terrorists had been firing for more than 20 minutes and that medical teams were unable to safely evacuate the wounded.

MDA EMT Tzuriel Edri described the chaotic scene.

“We arrived at a difficult scene while gunfire was still ongoing. We entered the area in MDA’s bulletproof ambulance and immediately began assisting in evacuating the wounded. We loaded a man in his 20s, who was unconscious with gunshot wounds and in very serious condition, into the ambulance and provided him with medical treatment. We evacuated additional wounded people to MDA ambulances that had arrived at the scene and immediately began transporting them to hospitals. Another critically injured casualty was treated by IDF medical forces in a mobile intensive care unit.”

The wounded were evacuated to hospitals in Yerushalayim.

Shaare Zedek Medical Center reported receiving two victims in moderate condition, both conscious and stable. Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital reported receiving another victim in light condition.

Two additional victims were treated at the scene in critical condition.

According to the IDF, the terrorists fled following the initial shooting, prompting a large-scale manhunt involving numerous military forces, including soldiers from the elite Duvdevan unit and aerial assets.

The two terrorists were ultimately eliminated by soldiers from the Home Front Command’s Ari Battalion, who were deployed in the area on a defensive mission.

The terrorists were armed with an M16 rifle and a handgun.

Following the attack, the IDF imposed a security cordon on several Palestinian villages in the area, along with a complete closure of Chevron, as troops continued searching for possible additional terrorists or accomplices.

The commander of the IDF’s Central Command and the commander of the 98th Division arrived at the scene to oversee military operations.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu also conducted a security assessment following the attack.

The IDF said troops remained deployed throughout the area as the investigation and security operations continued.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)