Isophoric News · Tuesday, October 27, 2026
Israel closes West Bank crossings for election day as a military operation continues in Hebron; displacement figures differ
The Israeli military said Sunday that all land crossings between Israel and the West Bank will be closed on Tuesday, the day of Israel's parliamentary election, and that Palestinian workers will be barred from entering settlements, according to DW, Euronews and the BBC. Euronews reported that the military said workers would be barred from Sunday through Monday except for industrial zones and a few approved areas. The measures follow a Friday attack near Hebron in which two Israeli soldiers were killed and three wounded and the two gunmen were killed, according to the Israeli military as DW reported. DW reported that Hamas praised the attack but did not claim it, and The Hindu (AP) reported that no militant group had taken responsibility. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed a forceful response, according to DW and the BBC. Figures for people displaced in Hebron differ by source. Hebron's mayor, Yousef al-Jabari, told Al Jazeera that about 2,200 people had been forced from their homes, and Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed that figure to the broadcaster Kan, DW reported; the BBC reported that Katz said about 2,000. The Hebron municipality said more than 2,600 had been displaced, with families removed from nearly 500 apartments, The Hindu reported. The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported more than 200 families and around 2,500 people, Euronews reported. The Israeli military said civilians were allowed to leave temporarily through screening points and that "no civilians were forced to evacuate," and said demolished structures posed a security threat and had been built illegally, Euronews reported. The Israeli rights group B'Tselem condemned plans to displace residents, Euronews reported. The military said it arrested about 40 suspects it described as linked to Hamas and Islamic Jihad (DW), operating in 40 areas on Friday and Saturday according to DW and more than 400 locations over the weekend according to The Hindu. The BBC reported that the mayor said the operation was "driven by the elections," which is his statement and not the BBC's finding.
