Israel to close all West Bank land crossings on election day

Israel has said all land crossings with the West Bank will be closed throughout election day on Tuesday 27 October 2026, as it tightens movement restrictions days before Israelis vote.

The Israeli army said that from Sunday 25 October, Palestinians would “not be permitted to enter Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley for work” (the Israeli term for the West Bank), and that a ban on the entry and exit of Palestinian workers, including in industrial zones, plus the closure of all land crossings would apply throughout election day on 27 October, according to AFP via Khaleej Times (https://www.khaleejtimes.com/world/mena/israel-close-all-land-crossings-west-bank-election-day?amp=1).

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed the same measures on Telegram, quoted by Arab News (https://www.arabnews.com/middle-east/israel-says-closing-all-land-crossings-with-west-bank-on-election-day-3008141): the political echelon had approved the worker ban, including industrial zones, and the closure of all land crossings throughout election day on Tuesday 27 October 2026.

The announcement follows Friday’s checkpoint killings near Hebron, in which attackers shot dead two Israeli soldiers and wounded three more. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to exact a heavy price, Defence Minister Israel Katz said displaced residents “will not be allowed to return… until we’ve finished dealing with all the Hamas issues in Hebron”, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich ordered “the immediate demolition of a row of illegal structures”.

The army said it operated in 40 areas and apprehended approximately 40 suspects; around 2,000 Palestinians were forced from their homes in Hebron, and the Palestinian Authority called for international pressure to protect affected residents.