Israel said it killed two gunmen who shot dead two Israeli soldiers on Friday and prevented a “terror attack” against Israeli civilians. The prime minister’s office said it had instructed the army to close off the occupied West Bank, where the shooting occurred.
The shooting comes days before Tuesday’s election, when Israeli voters will decide whether to give Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu another term.
In Jordan, gunmen opened fire inside a church, killing six people and wounding more than two dozen.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Friday. Read our full coverage here.
Israel's army says it killed 2 gunmen who killed soldiers
Israel’s military said its soldiers shot and killed two men who had launched an attack near the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank on Friday morning. Two soldiers were killed and three others lightly wounded in the attack.
The army said it prevented a “terror attack against Israeli civilians” and that the gunmen had an M16 rifle and a handgun.
Following the attack, Israel's prime minister's office said it had ordered the army to prepare for a full closure of the West Bank.
Churchgoers in Jordan attacked
The shooting took place during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, home to a minority Christian population, about 180 kilometers (110 miles) south of the capital Amman.
A Jordanian government spokesperson said six people were killed and 28 others wounded.
Security services are investigating the incident, government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said in a statement.
In 2016, Islamic State militants launched an attack on the Karak Castle, a popular tourist site, killing 14 people, including a Canadian tourist. No group immediately claimed responsibility for Friday's attack.
Arab parties ask Israel’s top court to bar armed poll observers
Arab political parties running in Israel’s national election have asked the Supreme Court to ban partisan election observers from carrying guns at polling stations.
The petition, filed Thursday with the Israel-based legal group Adalah, said the ban was essential to protecting public safety and ensuring a free and fair election on Tuesday.
It followed announcements by Jewish parties led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that they planned to send about 2,000 election observers to Arab neighborhoods, citing allegations of voter fraud.
Palestinians make up about 20% of Israel’s population. Arab-led parties could prove decisive in the upcoming election, the first since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, if Jewish parties are willing to join them in a governing coalition.
UNICEF calls for halt to killing of children in Gaza
UNICEF said that the total number of children killed in Gaza has surpassed 350 since Israel and Hamas reached the agreement last October.
“This level of violence against children is unacceptable,” Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said in a statement.
Israel’s military says strikes target Hamas militants and that it takes steps to mitigate civilian harm.
Palestinians in Gaza face bread shortages
Crowds gathered outside bakeries across Gaza on Friday, banging on metal doors and scrambling to obtain bags of bread.
The World Food Program announced Monday that it had reduced the number of people receiving assistance in Gaza to 1.1 million from 1.6 million because of a severe funding shortfall.
Ibrahim Abu Osama, a resident of Gaza City, said some bakeries had shut down and flour prices had skyrocketed since then. He said he had been unable to find bread.
At the same time, commercial shipments into Gaza, including food, were halted for days following a dispute over fees imposed on merchants. Israel said Monday it would gradually resume the shipments. As of Thursday, commercial shipments had resumed, but not of food.
Yemen retracts statement against gatherings in Houthi-controlled areas
Yemen’s defense ministry retracted a statement warning that tribal mobilization gatherings in Houthi-controlled areas would be considered legitimate military targets, calling the statement “wrong and unacceptable.”
Defense Minister Taher al-Aqili apologized to Yemen’s tribes in a post on X on Thursday, saying the military would not target tribal gatherings, known locally as “Nakf,” or other civilian assemblies. He said the military would abide by international humanitarian law in all its operations.
The statement earlier released by the internationally recognized ministry had warned residents in Houthi-controlled areas against attending such gatherings, accusing the Iran-backed rebels of mobilizing supporters and recruiting children for combat.
Israeli strikes in Gaza kill 1
Strikes by Israel's army killed at least one person in southern Gaza Friday morning, according to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
The Israeli military said the strike targeted a Hamas militant.
More than 1,500 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by the Israeli military since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began in October 2025, according to the territory’s health ministry. The ministry maintains detailed records and is regarded as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. Part of the Hamas-run government, the ministry does not distinguish between civilians and militants but says women and children make up nearly half of those killed.
Foreign ministers meet in Turkey over regional conflicts
Turkey hosted meetings Friday with the foreign ministers of Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the U.K., France, Germany and Italy to discuss conflicts in the Middle East and efforts to resolve the Russia-Ukraine war.
Turkey was expected to press for diplomacy between the United States and Iran, stress the importance of freedom of navigation through Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandab Strait and reaffirm Turkey’s support for Saudi Arabia in the face of Houthi attacks.
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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
