Israel Seals Hebron and Closes West Bank Crossings After Soldiers Killed Ahead of Election

The Israeli military kept up a large operation in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron on Sunday, sealing all entrances and exits after a Friday gun attack that killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three. Hebron's municipality said more than 2,200 people, including nearly 200 children, have been displaced; another report put the figure above 3,000 since Friday. Mayor Yousef Zuhair Al-Jabari said the operation is centered on Deir Bahha and the Al-Jalda area, and that people cannot enter or leave the city. The Israeli military said it operated in more than 400 locations over the weekend and arrested 40 Palestinians it described as affiliated with Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad. It also said most Palestinian workers with permits would not be allowed into Israeli settlements on Sunday and Monday, and that crossings into Israel will stay closed until after Tuesday's Israeli elections, widely seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security policies. Separately, video showed Israeli forces detaining and assaulting a young Palestinian man in Sinjil, north of Ramallah.

CBS News, on the left, leads with the movement restrictions before the election, citing the municipality's displacement count, the mayor's quote on the blockade, and the military's figures on locations and arrests, then adds election context. Alternative outlets differ in focus. Truthout's headline accuses Netanyahu of extending an assault on Hebron and gives a higher displacement figure of over 3,000. Middle East Eye focuses on footage of an assault in Sinjil. Right-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while left-leaning and alternative outlets had, and those covering it concentrate on the closures, displacement and the election timing.