Israel to close all West Bank land crossings on election day

Israel to close all West Bank land crossings on election day

The full report

The Israeli military has announced that all land border points between Israel and the occupied West Bank will be closed during Tuesday's parliamentary election, according to DW News. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that Palestinians would not be permitted to enter Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley for work, and a ban on the entry and exit of Palestinian workers will be enforced, as well as the closure of all land crossings throughout Election Day on October 27. The announcement came amid an ongoing Israeli military operation in the West Bank following a deadly attack by Palestinian gunmen near the city of Hebron on Friday. Two Israeli soldiers were killed and three others injured in the attack, according to the IDF, which said the two suspected attackers were also killed. The Palestinian militant group Hamas hailed the attack but did not claim credit for carrying it out.

The Israeli army said it had been operating in 40 areas throughout the West Bank on Friday and Saturday, with locals reporting that soldiers had announced evacuations over loudspeakers late at night. Israeli forces said they had apprehended approximately 40 suspects, including terrorists affiliated with the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations. The mayor of Hebron, Yousef al-Jabari, told broadcaster Al Jazeera that some 2,200 people had been forced from their homes since Israeli raids began on Friday. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed that figure, telling Israeli broadcaster Kan that Palestinians will not be allowed to return until they've finished dealing with all the Hamas issues in Hebron.

The restrictions come amid a crackdown in the occupied West Bank after Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers in the territory, according to BBC News — World. The Israel Defense Forces announced a ban on the entry and exit of Palestinian workers throughout Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley, including industrial zones, as well as the closure of all land crossings on Tuesday. It said most workers would also be barred from settlements from Sunday, with the exception of industrial zones and a limited number of other areas. Before the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, more than 100,000 Palestinian workers were permitted to enter Israel. Since then only a small fraction have had their permits restored.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said about 2,000 residents had been displaced by the operation, which has led to at least one whole street appearing to have been flattened, according to footage shared online. Even before the entry and exit bans on workers were announced by the IDF on Sunday, the military had cordoned off the city, heavily restricting the movement of its 200,000 residents. It is common for Israeli forces to demolish the homes of Palestinians who are suspected of carrying out attacks on Israelis in the West Bank - a practice Israeli rights groups have criticised as collective punishment.