Israel announced Sunday that it will close all land crossings with the West Bank on election day next week, vowing to exact a heavy price in response to the killing of two soldiers in an attack by two Palestinian militants.
This announcement comes a day after the Israeli army launched an operation in the West Bank city of Hebron, ordering some 250 families to leave, some at midnight, in response to the killing of the two soldiers in the attack by two Palestinian militants.
Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said that around 2,000 Palestinians were displaced from their homes in Hebron on Saturday as part of the army operation.
The Israeli army later announced on Telegram, "The political leadership has approved a ban on the entry and exit of Palestinian workers throughout Judea and Samaria (the Israeli designation for the West Bank) and the Jordan Valley, including industrial zones, in addition to closing all land crossings throughout Election Day (Tuesday), October 27, 2026."
The Palestinian Authority called on Saturday for "urgent" international action in response to the "forced displacement" being carried out by Israel in the city of Hebron.
The Israeli army stated that it conducted operations on Friday and Saturday in 40 different locations across the West Bank.
It added that its forces "arrested approximately 40 suspects, including individuals affiliated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as well as suspects accused of incitement, disturbing public order, and stone-throwing."
Hamas praised the "heroic and qualitative operation" and mourned the two attackers, calling for more attacks, without claiming responsibility.
Hamas Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing a tough battle to win Tuesday's general election, threatened a large-scale operation in the West Bank "unprecedented since the Six-Day War" of 1967.
For his part, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right politician who also holds a position in the Defense Ministry overseeing civilian affairs in the West Bank, said he personally ordered "the immediate demolition of a row of illegal buildings" in response to Friday's attack.
"Whoever attacks us will soon realize they will pay a heavy price," he wrote on the X platform.
Israeli state television reported that the residents, all displaced from the same neighborhood in the city, "will not be allowed to return until we have finished solving all of Hamas's problems in Hebron."
- Two hours to leave -
In the Ein Dir Baha neighborhood, nestled between two hills, buildings were marked with "X"s to indicate they were empty.
The streets were deserted, except for two Israeli military vehicles, while an Israeli flag hung over a house that appeared to have been seized by soldiers.
The neighborhood's mukhtar, 70-year-old Hijazi Shawar al-Tamimi, who owns a shop selling chickens and animal feed, said the army woke him at 1:00 AM and ordered him and other residents to leave.
He had only two hours to leave, so he packed his clothes and official documents. Many families didn't own cars and tried to find refuge with relatives elsewhere.
He said that what is happening now is because Netanyahu wants to win the elections, adding, "It is always the Palestinian citizen who pays the price."
Hebron Governor Khaled Dudin told AFP that about a third of Hebron was targeted in the operation.
He added that the Israeli soldiers "started in the neighborhood from which the attackers came, but there is no guarantee that the operation will not expand."
He continued, "This is a case of collective punishment against citizens who have no connection or involvement in this matter."
The governor indicated that 150 families were affected, while Hebron Mayor Yousef al-Jabari and local activist Issa Amro put the number at 250.
"We will find them shelter, and we will provide these people with all the assistance they need," the mayor told AFP.
- Netanyahu promises a "surprise" -
The Israeli army announced that it was conducting "precise and targeted searches" focused on the area from which the two gunmen killed in the exchange of fire emerged.
The army said the operation would continue for days, in line with similar procedures implemented after previous attacks.
But Netanyahu promised a "big surprise."
The far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, whose popularity is growing ahead of Tuesday's elections, called on Israel to dismantle the Palestinian Authority.
When asked whether he supported dismantling the Palestinian Authority, Netanyahu boasted that he had rejected pressure from three American presidents to work toward the establishment of a Palestinian state.
In an interview with i24NEWS late Friday, Netanyahu said, "I will neutralize that threat by means that I believe are best left undisclosed at this time," referring to the Palestinian Authority.
Regarding his attacks on Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran, Netanyahu said, "We have changed the Middle East. I said we would bring about change, and that is what we have done."
He added, "There is also a very big surprise in store for the Palestinian Authority."
Netanyahu linked the attackers to Hamas, which carried out the October 7, 2023, attack.
This comes as Israeli settlers have intensified their attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank in recent months, with a new wave of such attacks occurring during the current olive harvest season.
The human rights organization Yesh Din documented 672 incidents of settler violence in the past 26 days, nearly half of which were linked to the olive harvest.
Opinion polls indicate a very close race between Netanyahu and the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot, the centrist former chief of staff who opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state but has pledged to confront settler violence.
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