Netanyahu orders full West Bank lockdown after Hebron base attack

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered a complete closure of the West Bank borders, a move that has trapped approximately 800,000 Palestinians in Hebron and its surrounding governorate. The lockdown followed a fatal ambush on an Israeli military reserve base on Friday, in which two Palestinian gunmen and two Israeli soldiers were killed.

The sequence of events began Friday with the attack on the reserve base. By late Friday night, soldiers in Hebron broadcast evacuation orders over loudspeakers, forcing residents to leave their homes with minimal notice. On Saturday, the city was sealed off, preventing entry or exit. Al Jazeera correspondents documented Israeli military operations in at least 15 locations across the West Bank on Saturday, including Jenin, Nablus, Ramallah, Bethlehem, and East Jerusalem.

Yousef al-Ja'bari, the mayor of Hebron, stated that 2,200 people have been displaced from the city. He described a situation where hundreds of raids have occurred since the initial attack. Issa Amro, a political analyst based in Hebron, noted that all entrances and exits to the city have been closed since early Saturday morning, leaving the population without a safe haven.

The Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank, condemned the military response as collective punishment. It cited the demolition of homes and the siege of Palestinian cities, urging the international community to intervene. Hamas, which does not hold administrative control of the West Bank, released a statement claiming that Israeli and settler actions would continue to fuel outrage among the Palestinian population.

Israeli forces have also conducted arrests during the raids. The Palestinian Prisoners' Society reported that approximately 70 Palestinians have been detained. In Hebron, soldiers targeted journalists documenting a demolition operation near the Farsh al-Hawa checkpoint by firing a stun grenade at them.

The military escalation occurs three days before Israeli parliamentary elections scheduled for October 27. Nour Odeh, a correspondent for Al Jazeera, observed that political leaders are attempting to leverage the attack for electoral advantage. Netanyahu and his Likud party trail in current polls, and coalition allies are positioned to project a strong stance against Palestinian resistance. Netanyahu declined to specify whether the government intends to dismantle the Palestinian Authority, but indicated that a major surprise awaits the organization.

Residents of Hebron face a continued blockade. The city, home to roughly 200,000 people, remains cut off from the remaining 600,000 residents in the wider governorate. Military presence has intensified in the urban center, with continued searches and arrests reported in the hours following the initial lockdown order.