Staff Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem are the two Israeli soldiers who died after being critically wounded in Friday’s shooting at Yehuda Junction, near Hebron. The IDF released their identities on October 23 after their families were informed.
The loss came during an encounter that military commanders say disrupted preparations for a much broader assault on civilians. Their assessment points to Route 35 as the terrorists’ intended direction of travel, with the soldiers standing in their way.
A Roadblock Before the Civilian Route
Two terrorists traveling from Hebron in a car reached a checkpoint manned by the Ari Battalion and fired at the troops. The gun battle ended with both attackers eliminated. The military’s initial reconstruction indicates that the checkpoint prevented them from continuing toward the main road.
Rescuers had to work while the shooting continued. A Magen David Adom medic, in an account published by the local outlet Kan Darom, described entering in an armored ambulance and helping remove casualties. Military medical personnel were also treating a critically injured casualty at the scene.
A substantial ammunition supply found inside the attackers’ vehicle became a key part of the assessment that their plans extended beyond the checkpoint. The army believes civilian road users were a likely target; the exact destination the terrorists had selected was still being investigated.
Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir credited the troops’ speed with averting additional casualties among both civilians and security forces. Arutz Sheva carried his assessment that the ammunition had been assembled for an operation on a larger scale.
Two Members of the Same Battalion
Roytman was 23 and came from Ashkelon. He commanded a squad in Ari, the Home Front Command’s 775th Battalion within its Search and Rescue Brigade. Svilem, a 20 year old from Hod Hasharon, served there as a combat soldier.
The IDF’s memorial notice records that Svilem received a posthumous promotion from corporal to sergeant. The army said it would continue supporting the bereaved families.
Another three Ari soldiers needed hospital treatment. The later military casualty update classified their wounds as light.
Bluth Announces the Response From the Scene
Central Command head Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, speaking in a recorded statement at the site, attributed the prevention of a serious civilian attack to the soldiers’ courage. He offered condolences and described the troops as having physically shielded civilians from the terrorists.
Bluth said a substantial counterterrorism effort would accompany restrictions around Hebron and Halhul. He pledged action against the terrorists and the infrastructure supporting them. His announcement extended the military response beyond the gun battle itself, setting out the cordon and the operation that would follow.
