The Israeli military says that on Tuesday, Israel’s election day, all land crossings in the West Bank will be closed. Palestinian workers will not be allowed to enter or leave the West Bank and the Jordan Valley, including industrial zones. That is the announcement. Election day has not yet arrived.

From Sunday through Monday, most Palestinian workers are already barred from settlements, with exceptions for industrial zones and a few approved areas. On Tuesday the curb is wider: industrial zones included, and every land crossing shut.

The measures follow a Friday attack at a checkpoint near Hebron. Two Israeli soldiers were killed; three others were wounded. The two Palestinian attackers were also killed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a major operation in response.

Defence Minister Israel Katz: about 2,000 Hebron residents have been displaced in the operation. Hebron’s mayor, Youssef al-Jaabari, has spoken of thousands forced from their homes. Two sources, close figures, not a court tally. The army had already cordoned the city before Sunday’s worker announcement.

Before the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 attack, more than 100,000 Palestinian workers held permits to enter Israel. Since then, the BBC says only a fraction have had permits restored. That is background, not Tuesday’s headcount.

Hebron’s mayor ties the operation to the election. Netanyahu, on i24, spoke of a “very big surprise” for the Palestinian Authority — a verbal threat, not a measure already applied. Do not mix Tuesday’s closure with earlier lockdowns this month.

Image: checkpoint in Hebron, 6 September 2009 — Antoine Taveneaux, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The place, not Friday’s operation.

Sources consulted: Israel to close West Bank crossings on election day as crackdown escalates — BBC; Israel to close occupied West Bank crossings as it locks down Hebron — Al Jazeera; IDF: Palestinian workers will not be able to enter or leave West Bank and Jordan Valley on election day — Ynet.