IDF soldiers walk toward the bodies of the Palestinian gunmen killed in the clash<\/p>\n
Israel ordered a \u201cfull lockdown\u201d of the occupied West Bank <\/a>Friday after the Israeli military said two of its soldiers were killed in a shootout that also left two Palestinian gunmen dead.<\/p>\n The two suspects, both Palestinians from Hebron, were armed with an M16 rifle and a handgun, Israel said.<\/p>\n Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu<\/a> said soldiers would go \u201chouse to house\u201d in areas the attackers were believed to be from, evacuate residents and destroy \u201cterrorist infrastructure\u201d and \u201cinfrastructure for settlement\u201d would be built.<\/p>\n A cordon would be imposed around the cities of Hebron and Halhul and Israel would consider \u201cextending this model to other cities as well,\u201d he said speaking on camera from Hebron, where the incident occurred, and wearing a bulletproof vest.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are prepared for a large-scale operation in Judea and Samaria,\u201d he said, using a name employed by some Israelis for the West Bank.<\/p>\n The incident comes just days before a crucial election that will decide whether Netanyahu can hold on to power.<\/p>\n There has been a recent surge in Israeli settler violence and military activity in the West Bank centered on the start of the olive harvesting season, with Palestinians, activists and American journalists among those attacked and detained. Netanyahu has previously blamed<\/a> \u201ca handful of young juvenile delinquents\u201d for instances of settler violence.<\/p>\n In his comments Friday, Netanyahu praised settlers in the West Bank as \u201cheroic,\u201d saying they were \u201can example to the people of Israel and to the State of Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n Netanyahu\u2019s office said it instructed the Israel Defense Forces to \u201cimpose a closure\u201d on Hebron and to prepare for a \u201cfull lockdown\u201d across the entire West Bank starting Friday. It gave no further details on the planned closure of the territory.<\/p>\n In comments following an emergency meeting with his security cabinet and top military and security officials, Netanyahu blamed Hamas for the shooting and said the militant group was \u201cplanning a major attack aimed at murdering innocent civilians.\u201d<\/p>\n He cited \u201clarge quantities of weapons and ammunition discovered,\u201d but did not provide further details on the attack. He did not say whether the injured included soldiers or civilians.<\/p>\n The order to lock down the West Bank came hours after the Israeli military said it had killed two people after a shooting attack in which at least five people were initially reported injured.<\/p>\n The Israeli military later said two soldiers had been killed in the attack. It said three additional soldiers were lightly injured and evacuated to receive medical treatment at a hospital.<\/p>\n Magen David Adom, Israel\u2019s primary emergency service, had earlier said it received a report at around 7:15 a.m. local time (12:15 a.m. ET) of multiple casualties following the attack near the Yehuda Junction, near Hebron. It said first responders had provided medical treatment to at least five people, including two in critical condition.<\/p>\n The identities of the two people alleged to have launched the attack and who were killed by Israeli forces were not immediately clear as of late Friday morning.<\/p>\n