Israeli military launches major West Bank operation days before election

The Israeli military continued a massive operation in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, displacing hundreds of Palestinians and restricting movement after a gun attack killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others in Hebron on Friday. The operation occurs days before Israel's election, seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security policies. The military said it operated in over 400 locations over the weekend, arresting 40 Palestinians it claimed were affiliated with Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Palestinian workers will be barred from Israeli settlements and crossings into Israel will remain closed until after Tuesday's elections. Hebron municipality reported over 2,200 people displaced, including nearly 300 children. The operation has sealed all entrances and exits to Hebron, forcing businesses to close and shuttering a mosque. Six Israelis have been killed in West Bank attacks this year, while 112 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Netanyahu vowed a forceful response, saying "We will act to destroy this place."