Israeli army expands West Bank raid ahead of national election

The Israeli army continued a wide-scale operation in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, displacing more than 2,200 residents of Hebron, including nearly 300 children, and imposing strict movement limits. The raid follows a gun attack in Hebron on Friday that killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others.

The military said it operated in over 400 locations during the weekend, arrested 40 Palestinians it linked to Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and kept all city entrances and exits sealed. Residents were ordered to evacuate the Deir Bahha neighbourhood, identified as the gunmen’s base, and the army warned that the area could remain closed for up to 12 days.

Most Palestinian workers with permits were barred from entering Israeli settlements on Sunday and Monday, and crossings into Israel stayed shut until after the election on Tuesday, the army said.

"People cannot reach or enter the city, and they cannot leave it. The blockade has affected every aspect of life," said Hebron Mayor Yousef Zuhair Al-Jabari, adding that businesses and a mosque had been forced to close.

"The army told us that this area would be closed for 12 days. Now they're saying 12 days, but maybe they'll leave the area after two or three days," said resident Shadi al-Qawasmi, who was displaced with his family.

Netanyahu and three right-wing cabinet members visited the attack site on Friday, pledging a strong response. "We warned a few weeks ago about attempts by our enemies to harm us, our citizens and our soldiers ahead of the election," Netanyahu said, adding that Israel would act to destroy the perpetrators' base.

The Hebron municipality reported that families were displaced from nearly 500 apartments in Deir Bahha and nearby neighborhoods. The ongoing violence in the West Bank has resulted in six Israeli deaths and 112 Palestinian deaths, according to the Ramallah-based Palestinian Health Ministry.