Israel imposes military lockdown on West Bank

The Israeli military has imposed a lockdown on the West Bank , closing all border crossings and prohibiting Palestinian workers from entering Israeli settlements. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Palestinian workers “will not be permitted” to enter Israeli settlements in the West Bank “with the exception of industrial zones and a limited number of other approved areas”. The army added that the government had decided to impose a ban on the entry and exit of Palestinian workers throughout the West Bank , including industrial zones, after a “recommendation by the security establishment”. The move will affect some 9,000 Palestinians who, according to data from last year, have permits to work in settlements and industrial zones. The decision to impose a lockdown comes after a shooting attack committed by two Palestinians in the West Bank on Friday morning left two Israeli soldiers dead. The assailants, Mohammad Jaaba and Firas Jaaba, both 27 years old, were killed during their attack on a military checkpoint near Hebron, where they both resided. Eyal Zamir, the head of the IDF, said that “a large quantity of ammunition” had been found in their vehicle, and that it had been “intended to be used to carry out a larger-scale attack”. Following the attack against the checkpoint near Hebron, Benjamin Netanyahu , the Israeli prime minister, announced “a very broad IDF operation in Judea and Samaria [the West Bank], the likes of which have not been done since the Six-Day War”. He added: “The IDF is ready to carry it out, and we will determine the timing, but it is on its way.” Mr Netanyahu said that the IDF would “evacuate the residents [of Hebron], we will go house to house, we will remove the weapons there as well, and all the terrorist infrastructure will be dealt with and destroyed”. The IDF has since launched a major anti-terror offensive in Hebron and other areas of the West Bank, targeting 40 areas and 400 locations during the weekend. About 40 Palestinians have been arrested, including members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and suspects involved in “incitement, public disorder, and rock-hurling”, according to the IDF. In the northern West Bank, Israeli forces also dismantled memorials “commemorating terrorists who took part in terror attacks in which Israeli civilians were killed”, and arrested two Palestinians suspected of carrying out terror attacks in the area of Burin. Israel Katz, the defence minister, told Kan, Israel’s public broadcaster, on Saturday that about 2,000 Palestinians had been displaced in Hebron so far. “Selected army units are now operating there. They will not be allowed to return to their neighbourhood until we’ve finished dealing with all the Hamas issues in Hebron,” Mr Katz said. Since the Hamas-led terror attack on Oct 7, 2023, the IDF has launched several major operations against Hamas and Islamic strongholds in the West Bank , including Jenin and Tulkarm. The operations forced tens of thousands of Palestinians to be displaced.