Israel Closes All West Bank Crossings for Election Day and Bars Palestinian Workers From Settlements as Hebron Displacement Reaches 2,000, Katz Says

Since two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint near Hebron on Friday, Oct. 23, Israel has imposed restrictions on Hebron and across the West Bank. The Israel Defense Forces announced on Sunday, Oct. 25, that every land crossing will be shut on election day.

The IDF 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" for Tuesday, Oct. 27. Israelis vote that day.

The army also said that starting Sunday, most Palestinians would not be permitted to enter Israeli communities in the West Bank for work. Industrial zones and a limited number of other areas are exempt.

Before the Hamas-led attack of Oct. 7, 2023, more than 100,000 Palestinian workers were permitted to enter Israel. Only a small fraction have had permits restored since.

Katz: Displaced residents stay out

Defense Minister Israel Katz said about 2,000 Hebron residents have been evacuated. "They will not be allowed to return... until we've finished dealing with all the Hamas issues in Hebron," he said.

The Israeli human rights group B'Tselem said approximately 240 Palestinian families were forced out of the Jildah and 'Ein Deir Bahah neighborhoods on Friday and Saturday. B'Tselem added that soldiers have taken over numerous homes, raised Israeli flags over several buildings, and continued arrests and interrogations.

The army says the operation will last several days. Shin Bet, Border Police and the Civil Administration are taking part, and Hebron and neighboring Halhul are under lockdown. Even before the worker bans were announced, the military had cordoned off Hebron, heavily restricting the movement of its 200,000 residents, according to the BBC.

The IDF said it operated in 40 areas across the West Bank over Friday and Saturday and detained about 40 suspects it described as affiliated with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Residents say soldiers announced evacuations over loudspeakers late at night.

Higazi Shawer al-Tamimi, 70, a shopkeeper in Ein Deir Baha, told AFP soldiers woke him at 1:00 a.m. and ordered him out. When he asked how long, he was told: "Until further notice."

Demolitions and a disputed court order

The Israeli military has been demolishing homes and businesses in Hebron. Footage shared online shows at least one entire street appearing to have been flattened, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he personally ordered the immediate demolition of a row of illegal structures after Friday's shooting.

Riyad Mureish, 49, told NBC News soldiers gave his family minutes to grab valuables and identity documents before his home was demolished on Friday. He said a court decree should have blocked the demolition. Israeli officials did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment.

Israeli rights groups have long called demolitions of suspected attackers' homes collective punishment. It is common for Israeli forces to demolish the homes of Palestinians suspected of carrying out attacks on Israelis in the West Bank.

What Israel says it is preventing

The IDF's preliminary investigation found the gunmen apparently meant to attack civilians on a nearby highway and opened fire on soldiers after running into the checkpoint. The military said they carried substantial ammunition. The firefight lasted more than 20 minutes, and both attackers were killed. Three more soldiers were wounded.

Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth said a "grave terror attack against Israeli civilians was thwarted." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said troops would "evacuate the residents, go from house to house, remove the weapons there, and address and demolish all terrorist infrastructure."

Hamas has not claimed the attack, but it praised the killings.

Election politics

Hebron Mayor Youssef al-Jaabari said the operation is "driven by the elections." He accused Netanyahu and his ministers of chasing far-right and settler votes.

Netanyahu did say on Friday, while standing in Hebron: "We are going to destroy terrorist infrastructure, and we are going to build the infrastructure for settlement." He is in a tight race. His security-first reputation took heavy damage from the Oct. 7 attack.

In an interview with Israel's i24 channel released Saturday, Netanyahu threatened a "very big surprise" for the Palestinian Authority. The PA has asked for international pressure on Israel to protect affected residents.

Thousands also rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday, led by the October Council, a group founded by Oct. 7 victims' and hostages' families. They are demanding a state commission of inquiry into the failures that preceded the attack.

Still to come

Netanyahu said Friday that he and Katz had overseen planning for an IDF operation "on a scale not seen since the Six-Day War." He added: "The IDF is ready to carry it out, and we will determine the timing, but it is coming." IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said the army has already moved the 98th Division headquarters and additional troops into the area.

No date has been given for that larger operation, and no one has said when the displaced Hebron families can go home. The crossings are due to close Tuesday, Oct. 27, the day of the election.