Israel said on Sunday that all land crossings with the West Bank will be closed on Tuesday, when Israelis vote in a general election, and that Palestinian workers will be barred from entering Israeli communities until then.
The announcement followed the killing of two Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint near Hebron on Friday. Three more were wounded. Hamas did not claim the attack but praised it.
A raid, and about 2,000 people displaced
Israeli forces pushed into Hebron a day before the announcement and displaced about 2,000 residents. Defense Minister Israel Katz said they would not be allowed to return "until we've finished dealing with all the Hamas issues in Hebron."
Residents said soldiers announced evacuations over loudspeakers late at night. The army said it operated in 40 areas across the territory over Friday and Saturday and detained about 40 suspects, including people it described as affiliated with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, campaigning days before the vote, vowed to exact a heavy price for the attack and said he was planning an operation on a scale not seen since Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967.
Work permits suspended
The army said Palestinians would not be permitted to enter Israeli communities in the West Bank and the Jordan Valley for work, and that it would enforce a ban on the entry and exit of Palestinian workers throughout those areas, including industrial zones, along with the closure of all land crossings on election day.
Israel issues permits to Palestinians from the West Bank for jobs inside Israel and in settlements, and the suspension cuts off a main source of household income for thousands of families.
The Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the West Bank in cooperation with Israel, condemned the Hebron operation and called for international pressure on Israel to protect residents. It said the displacement amounts to collective punishment.
An election fought on security
Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, is seeking another term in a race that polls suggest is close. His reputation as the country's most experienced hand on security was damaged by the Hamas-led attack of 7 October 2023 and by the war that followed.
The vote is on Tuesday. Turnout and the balance between the religious-nationalist parties and the centre-left blocs will decide the result, with final figures expected within days.