Israel presses ahead with army operation in occupied West Bank

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The move follows a gun attack last week that killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others.

The operation, focused on the city of Hebron, the site of Friday’s attack, came as Israel entered the final days of what appears to be a close-run general election, which is largely seen as a referendum on the country’s far-right Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership and security policies during the past three years of war.

In new measures, the army said that most Palestinian workers with permits will not be allowed to enter Israeli West Bank settlements on Sunday and Monday, and crossings into Israel will remain closed until after Israel’s elections on Tuesday.

The military said it operated in more than 400 different locations over the weekend and arrested 40 Palestinians it claimed were affiliated with the Hamas or Islamic Jihad militant groups. It said the operation was continuing Sunday.

The Hebron municipality said the operation displaced more than 2,600 Palestinians.

The military said that troops were conducting searches in the area where the gunmen operated, and warned residents to evacuate Deir Bahha, the suspected gunmen’s neighbourhood. 

After Friday’s attack, Israel’s military said it found weapons in the gunmen’s car and that they were likely planning to attack Israeli civilians before being stopped at the checkpoint where the shootout erupted.

All entrances and exits to the city remained sealed, with the operation focused in Deir Bahha and another part of the city called al-Jalda, according to Hebron mayor Yousef Zuhair al-Jabari.

“People cannot reach or enter the city, and they cannot leave it. The blockade has affected every aspect of life,” Mayor Jabari said. 

“The army told us that this area would be closed for 12 days. Now they’re saying 12 days, but maybe they’ll leave the area after two or three days,” said Shadi al-Qawasmi, a Hebron resident who was displaced with his family. 

The Israeli military declined to say how long the operation might last.

Hebron municipal officials said families had been displaced from nearly 500 apartments in Deir Bahha and surrounding neighbourhoods.

Six Israelis have been killed this year in attacks in the West Bank, which is experiencing a surge of violence. During the same period, 112 Palestinians have been killed, including the suspected gunmen, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.