Israeli forces impose West Bank-wide lockdown after shooting near Hebron leaves two soldiers dead, halting Palestinian olive harvest

Israeli forces have imposed a territory-wide lockdown across the occupied West Bank, sealing off dozens of Palestinian towns and villages after a shooting near Hebron left two Israeli soldiers dead.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and cabinet ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir ordered sweeping military measures, including calls for “Gaza-style” operations, house-to-house raids and forced evictions across the territory.

The investigative outlet The Dragnet reported that forces quickly set up makeshift roadblocks with boulders, military vehicles and confiscated civilian cars to isolate entire communities. In villages south of Nablus, including Jamma’in, residents reported the deployment of heavy armored infantry fighting vehicles. Elders said such vehicles had not been deployed inside civilian villages since the First Intifada. Residents were left isolated and bracing for nighttime military raids and escalating settler violence.

The movement restrictions have halted the annual Palestinian olive harvest, described in the post as a vital economic and cultural pillar already under severe strain from widespread Israeli army blockades and systematic settler attacks. With roads blocked and harvesting canceled, farming communities remain trapped in their villages, facing economic disruption and what the post describes as a severe military siege; volunteers with an international protective presence face military detention.