Israel to close West Bank land crossings on election day

The Israeli Defense Forces announced that all land crossings with the occupied West Bank will be closed on Tuesday for Israel's election, BBC News reported. BBC News and ABC News Australia both reported that Palestinian workers will also be barred from entering Israeli settlements and land crossings as part of a military crackdown in the territory. [1][2]

The military restrictions follow an attack where Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers in Hebron, ABC News Australia and the South China Morning Post both reported. ABC News Australia said three other soldiers were wounded in the attack. Defence Minister Israel Katz stated that the army evacuated approximately 2,000 residents from the Hebron neighbourhood of the two attackers, according to ABC News Australia. France 24 reported that a Palestinian official put the number of displaced Palestinians at around 1,200. [2][3][6]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, Israeli forces launched operations in Hebron after two soldiers were killed at a military checkpoint on Friday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised a large-scale military operation in response to the shooting, while the Palestinian Authority called for international pressure on Israel over the actions. [17][18]

The military operation, which the South China Morning Post reported is scheduled to last several days and include searches and demolitions, comes just days before Israelis vote on whether to keep Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government in power, according to ABC News Australia. [2][6]