Major Israeli preelection ops in West Bank displace thousands

The Israeli military continued a large-scale operation in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, displacing thousands of Palestinians and restricting movement across the territory. This escalation follows an attack on Friday in Hebron that killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others. The military stated it operated in more than 400 different locations over the weekend and arrested 40 Palestinians whom it claimed were affiliated with Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Authorities confirmed that the operation maintained its intensity on Sunday. The conflict intensifies as Israel approaches a general election scheduled for Tuesday. The vote is widely viewed as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership and security policies during the previous three years of war. Netanyahu, facing a tight race for a new term, ordered a lockdown in the West Bank days prior to the vote. He stated that Israeli troops prevented what could have been a major attack, noting that the two assailants were allegedly carrying a large quantity of ammunition in their vehicle. On Friday, two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at the Farsh al-Hawa checkpoint near Hebron. An AFP photographer witnessing the event described seeing two armed men, equipped with a handgun and an automatic rifle, exchanging fire with Israeli forces. The military reported that soldiers rushed to the Judea Junction area and eliminated the two attackers. Witnesses later saw the lifeless bodies of the gunmen near a petrol station while troops patrolled the vicinity. The military claimed to have found weapons in the gunmen’s car and asserted they were planning to attack Israeli civilians before being stopped. Following the shooting, Netanyahu visited the site with three members of his right-wing government, vowing a forceful response. He canceled all Likud party political meetings for the day of the attack. The prime minister declared that the army and security forces would impose an immediate cordon on Hebron and prepare for a full lockdown of Judea and Samaria, the biblical names used for the West Bank. He added that troops were conducting stepped-up operations to thwart terrorist activities and executing large-scale waves of arrests. The scope of the displacement varies by source. The Hebron municipality reported that the operation displaced more than 2,200 people, including nearly 300 children under the age of 18. Municipal officials stated that families were displaced from nearly 500 apartments in the Deir Bahha neighborhood and surrounding areas. Other estimates differ; Hebron Mayor Yousef Zuhair al-Jabari and local activist Issa Amro estimated that approximately 250 families were forced to leave their homes, while Hebron Governor Khaled Dudin placed the figure at 150 families. A separate report cited by the Slovenian news agency N1 indicated that 1,500 people had been displaced, with plans to displace an additional 2,500. Defence Minister Israel Katz stated that the army had evacuated about 2,000 residents from the neighborhood of the assailants and that they would not be allowed to return until all Hamas-related issues in Hebron were resolved. The military focused its efforts on the Deir Bahha and al-Jalda neighborhoods, marking cleared buildings with X symbols. Streets in these areas became deserted, patrolled only by military vehicles. Residents were directed to designated exit points for security checks. Fahed Ahmro, a 51-year-old city worker, fled to a relative’s home after loudspeaker warnings and sirens woke him. He noted that unlike previous raids where families returned after brief searches, entire neighborhoods were now being evacuated, creating deep uncertainty. Movement restrictions extended beyond Hebron. Most Palestinian workers holding permits were barred from entering Israeli settlements for work on Sunday and Monday. Crossings into Israel remained closed until after the Tuesday elections. The Hebron municipality reported that the blockade affected every aspect of life, forcing businesses to close and shutting down a mosque. Some families navigated crossings on foot to leave the city after roads were closed to traffic. At certain military gates, residents passed sacks of flour and gas canisters, while an elderly man pushed his wife in a wheelchair through an opening beside a gate. Another family attempted to pass through to access medical appointments. Political tensions heightened the situation. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for a fresh military offensive in the West Bank similar to campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon. He argued for a comprehensive military campaign to dismantle the Palestinian Authority, collect weapons, and eliminate terrorists. Smotrich stated that this would be a priority measure for the next government. Conversely, the Palestinian Authority criticized the operation as collective punishment. Governor Dudin argued that civilians with no involvement in the shooting were being penalized. Local authorities established a crisis committee to assist displaced families, promising to provide shelter and necessary aid. The violence occurs against a backdrop of rising casualties in the region. According to the Ramallah-based Palestinian Health Ministry, 112 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank this year. During the same period, six Israelis have been killed, including the two soldiers from Friday’s attack. The West Bank is home to roughly 3 million Palestinians and 540,000 Israeli settlers. Hebron is considered one of the most tense cities in the territory and the only location where Jewish extremist settlers reside in the heart of a densely populated Palestinian area under Israeli military protection. Separate from the main operation, eleven international volunteers from Britain, Australia, Italy, Germany, the United States, and Ireland were arrested in the village of Al-bweib, south of Hebron, on Thursday. They were part of a group intending to accompany Palestinian farmers harvesting olives. The group stated they were visiting Al-bweib and not engaged in activism. One member, a 62-year-old Irish man from Dublin, was detained before being transferred to an immigration center. He has since returned home with consular assistance from Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. A Palestinian man arrested alongside them has also been released. Netanyahu hinted at broader future actions in an interview with i24 News on Friday evening, stating that a big surprise was being prepared for the Palestinian Authority. The military stated that the current operation in Hebron was expected to continue for several days. Residents in the affected areas expressed fear regarding the duration of the closures, with one displaced resident suggesting the restrictions might last twelve days or potentially end sooner due to political considerations related to the upcoming elections.