Israel seals Hebron and closes West Bank crossings ahead of election after soldiers killed

Israel's military is continuing a large-scale operation in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron and says crossings into Israel will remain shut through Tuesday's national vote, after an attack that left two Israeli soldiers dead, PBS NewsHour and BBC News reported.

BBC News said two Palestinian gunmen opened fire Friday at a checkpoint, killing two soldiers and injuring three more before the attackers themselves were killed. Citing the Israeli military, PBS NewsHour said troops recovered weapons from the attackers' vehicle and believed civilians had been the intended target. PBS also reported that no militant group has claimed the attack.

According to PBS, the army said its forces carried out activity at over 400 sites during the weekend and detained 40 Palestinians it accused of ties to Hamas or Islamic Jihad. Residents of Deir Bahha, the neighborhood linked to the suspected attackers, were told to evacuate. The military would not give a timeline for ending the operation, PBS said.

Figures on displacement vary. PBS cited the Hebron municipality as saying upward of 2,600 people had been forced from close to 500 apartments. The BBC quoted Defense Minister Israel Katz as putting the figure at roughly 2,000. The BBC also reported that Israeli forces have torn down homes and shops, with video posted online appearing to show an entire street leveled. Israeli rights organizations have called such demolitions collective punishment, the BBC noted.

The BBC said Hebron, home to around 200,000 people, has been cordoned off. Mayor Yousef Zuhair Al-Jabari told PBS that shops and a mosque had closed as a result. "People cannot reach or enter the city, and they cannot leave it," he said. Speaking to the BBC, he argued the operation was tied to election politics.

Under the latest measures, most permit-holding Palestinian laborers may not enter settlements from Sunday, and every land crossing will be closed on voting day, both outlets said.

Netanyahu traveled to the site of the shooting and promised a forceful reply, PBS reported. The BBC said that in an interview aired Saturday, he warned the Palestinian Authority of a "very big surprise." Many see the vote as a verdict on his leadership, and the BBC described former army chief Gadi Eisenkot as level with him in the race.

Thousands demonstrated against the government in Tel Aviv on Saturday, calling for a state commission to investigate the October 7, 2023 attack, according to the BBC.

PBS, citing the Palestinian Health Ministry, said 112 Palestinians have died in the West Bank so far this year, compared with six Israelis killed in attacks there. On Sunday, hundreds of people attended the funeral of Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem, 20, one of the two slain soldiers.

Compiled by True News from reporting by PBS NewsHour and BBC News. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/447