Israeli military launches major West Bank operation days before election

The Israeli military conducted a massive operation in the occupied West Bank over the weekend, displacing hundreds of Palestinians and restricting movement following a gun attack that killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others in Hebron on Friday. The operation comes days before Israel's election, widely seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership. The military said it operated in over 400 locations, arresting 40 Palestinians affiliated with Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Palestinian workers with permits will be barred from entering Israeli communities until after Tuesday's election, and crossings into Israel remain closed. Hundreds of families were displaced, with some navigating closed roads on foot. The attack sparked outrage in Israel, with Netanyahu vowing to respond forcefully. Six Israelis have been killed in West Bank attacks this year, while 112 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Roughly 3 million Palestinians and 540,000 Israeli settlers live in the territory, which Israel occupied in 1967.