The Israeli regime has announced that it will close all land crossings with the occupied West Bank on the day of its upcoming general election next week. The military stated that Palestinian workers would be barred from entering most areas of the West Bank starting Sunday through Monday, with a complete closure of all entry and exit points enforced on Tuesday, coinciding with the national vote.

The announcement comes on the heels of a stringent military lockdown imposed in Hebron, which has allegedly displaced thousands of Palestinians from their homes. The measures follow a series of hundreds of raids launched since Friday, after two Palestinian gunmen reportedly attacked an Israeli army reserve base, resulting in the deaths of two soldiers. Both alleged attackers were also killed during the incident.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly ordered a comprehensive lockdown of the occupied West Bank following the attack, while Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed that approximately 2,000 individuals had been forced from their residences. Katz claimed in a broadcast interview that residents would not be permitted to return until military operations in Hebron are fully concluded.

Local officials, including Hebron Mayor Yousef al-Ja’bari, reported that the city and surrounding villages remain under a total blockade, with residents receiving late-night forced evacuation orders via loudspeakers. The Palestinian Authority has denounced these actions as "collective punishment," pointing to widespread home demolitions and the siege of urban centers. Analysts suggest that Netanyahu, facing a tightly contested election, is allegedly exploiting ongoing regional security tensions to bolster his political campaign.

Source: www.aljazeera.com