Israel orders West Bank crossings to close on election day following Hebron shooting

All West Bank land crossings are set to be closed on Tuesday as Israel holds legislative elections, the Israeli military has said.In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced a "ban on the entry and exit of Palestinian workers to and from all of Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley, including industrial zones, as well as the closure of all land crossings throughout election day."It added that from Sunday through Monday, Palestinian workers would also not be permitted to enter Judea, Samaria or the Jordan Valley to work, "with the exception of industrial zones and a few other approved areas."

The move comes as part of a wider clampdown in the occupied West Bank after two Israeli soldiers were killed by Palestinian gunmen in the city of Hebron earlier this week.Following the shooting, the IDF said its forces were surrounding Hebron as soldiers conducted search operations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had instructed the military to "cordon off the city" and take "additional security measures" in the area.Israel has since begun demolishing buildings as residents have been removed from the region.

The Palestinian News Agency (Wafa) reported on Sunday that more than 200 families have been displaced in Hebron over the past three days, with around 2,500 people forcibly removed from their homes in the al-Jilda and Ain Deir Baha areas.Israeli forces also detained 20 people across the wider Hebron Governorate on Sunday as part of the crackdown, the report said.

The IDF said it had launched a "targeted operation" around Hebron that aimed to dismantle "terrorist infrastructure" and prevent future attacks."To reduce the risk to civilians, civilians were permitted to temporarily leave the area through designated screening points. No civilians were forced to evacuate," it said in a statement.

The military also confirmed that a number of structures in Hebron had been demolished, saying they had posed a "security threat.""All other structures demolished in the area were also built illegally, and their demolition was carried out in accordance with international law in order to enforce law and order and remove potential security threats," the IDF said.B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights group, has condemned Israeli "plans to forcibly displace Palestinian residents from their homes and carry out widespread destruction in the area."

The group has also called on the international community to "act immediately" to put a stop to Israel's campaign in Hebron.Anti-government protestsIt comes as thousands of people took to the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday to protest against the government ahead of Tuesday's election.Demonstrators reportedly marched from Rabin Square in the city centre towards Hostages Square, renamed in the wake of Hamas' 7 October 2023 attacks on Israel.The rally was organised by the October Council, a group set up by families of victims and hostages taken by militants during the attacks."

This evening has given us tremendous strength, but our struggle is not yet over," the group wrote in a post on social media on Sunday. "We must now channel the incredible energy from the square into action. This coming Tuesday, we’re all going out to vote."