Israeli forces had driven about 2,200 Palestinians from their homes in Hebron by Saturday, the city's mayor said, as raids and closures spread across the occupied West Bank three days before Israel's October 27 election. Families were told to leave neighborhoods where troops were searching for suspects after two Israeli soldiers were killed on Friday.

The operation continued into Sunday, with Palestinian reports of more arrests and homes being taken over as military posts.

Families leave, and troops take over homes

The Palestinian Prisoner's Society put the number displaced at 293 families in figures reported by Al Jazeera on October 25. The group said those forced out included 127 infants, 81 pregnant women, 26 people with disabilities and 134 people with chronic illnesses. Another 265 were over 60.

Palestinian officials previously reported around 1,500 people displaced from the Deir Baha and al-Jilda areas, with some families spending the night outdoors. The governorate declared a state of emergency and began organizing help for residents who had left.

By Sunday, Israeli forces were using homes in Khallat Manna and Dahiyat al-Zaytoun in southern Hebron as barracks, WAFA reported, citing local sources. Other evacuated properties were being used as observation posts.

The Palestinian Prisoner's Society said at least 47 Palestinians had been detained across Hebron since Friday. Separately, WAFA reported at least 20 detentions as Sunday's raids reached neighborhoods in the city and the nearby towns of Dura, Yatta, as-Samu, Tarqumiya and Halhul.

Residents were also facing closed entrances, military checkpoints and searches. WAFA said troops entering as-Samu broke doors and damaged property while searching homes, briefly holding and questioning residents.

Katz says residents cannot return yet

Defense Minister Israel Katz acknowledged the displacement in a Saturday interview with Israel's Kan public broadcaster. According to The Times of Israel's account, he said:

"About 2,000 have been displaced. Selected army units are now operating there."

He added that residents would not be allowed back until Israel had finished dealing with Hamas in Hebron. Palestinian officials and rights groups have condemned the operation as collective punishment.

The Israeli military said its operation was focused on the neighborhood where the two gunmen lived. It described civilians as having requested to evacuate temporarily through designated checkpoints after security checks. That account differs from residents' descriptions of being ordered out of their homes.

The army said troops had searched around 200 sites without finding weapons and had taken 10 suspects for questioning, The Times of Israel reported. Israeli authorities also demolished buildings near the shooting site, saying they were illegally built and posed security risks. The newspaper noted that Israel has not granted Palestinians building permits in that part of the West Bank in years.

Friday's shooting killed Staff Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman, 23, and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem, 20, and wounded three other soldiers. Both Palestinian gunmen were killed in the gunfight that followed, according to the military.

Restrictions will tighten on election day

The Israeli army has announced a full closure of West Bank crossings on Tuesday, when Israelis vote, according to WAFA's October 25 report. Restrictions on Palestinian workers' movement took effect on Sunday. The planned election-day closure will bar workers from entering and leaving the West Bank and Jordan Valley.

The timing has drawn criticism from Palestinians affected by the operation. Higazi Shawer al-Tamimi, a 70-year-old Hebron shopkeeper interviewed by AFP, said soldiers woke him during the night and gave him two hours to pack clothes and official papers. He accused Netanyahu of using the operation to help win the election.

Netanyahu has ordered a broad military response and warned that a "big surprise" awaits the Palestinian Authority, without specifying what he plans to do. His national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has called for the authority to be dismantled.

The Palestinian Authority has called for international intervention over the demolitions, displacement and closures.