Nahost: Israels Armee: Lockdown im Westjordanland am Wahltag

Israel's army has declared a lockdown in the occupied West Bank ahead of the parliamentary elections on Tuesday, according to the military. The army stated that Palestinian workers will no longer be allowed access to Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the Jordan Valley, with exceptions for industrial zones and a "limited number" of approved areas.

This decision stems from Israel's ongoing military operations in the West Bank following a deadly attack by armed Palestinians near Hebron on Friday, where two soldiers were killed and three others wounded. Two suspects, believed to be Palestinian, were killed in retaliation. Israel's Defense Minister, Israel Katz, confirmed that approximately 2,000 Palestinian residents were expelled from their homes in Hebron.

The military is currently engaged in operations in these areas, and the 2,000 affected individuals are expected to remain displaced until all issues with Hamas in Hebron are resolved. Hebron's mayor, Jussef al-Dschabari, had previously stated to the Arabic news channel Al Jazeera that 2,200 people had been expelled from their homes since the start of the Israeli operations on Friday.

The Israeli army, working alongside the Israeli Border Police and the Mossad, has carried out anti-terrorism operations in around 40 areas and 400 locations in the West Bank, claiming to have detained dozens of suspects, including members of the Islamist terrorist organizations Hamas and Islamic Jihad. In light of this, Israel's political leadership has endorsed the Defense Ministry's recommendation to impose a ban on Palestinian workers entering all settlements and industrial areas during the parliamentary election on Tuesday.

Additionally, all land crossings between the West Bank and Israel are to be closed for Palestinians.