Soldiers withdraw, settlers take over: West Bank movement paralyzed

• 'Israeli' settlers roadblocks cut off western Salfit, Wadi Qana, and Wadi al-Shaer routes, severing access to Qalqilya and al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya 
• 'Israeli' forces withdrew from Hebron following a 10-day military campaign launched after an October 23 operation that killed two soldiers
• The 'Israeli' raid displaced over 3,000 residents, saw punitive home demolitions, and left returned families facing heavily vandalized properties

Groups of 'Israeli' settlers on Monday blocked multiple primary and secondary arteries connecting the northern West Bank city of Salfit to adjacent towns and villages, setting tires ablaze and severely restricting Palestinian vehicular movement.

The settler actions brought travel to a standstill, barring Palestinian civilians from reaching workplaces, schools, and essential daily services.

Road closures concentrated heavily on the western access routes of Salfit governorate, stretching between the Kifl Haris roundabout and the traffic junction at Haris north of the occupied West Bank.

The blockades completely severed transit for Palestinian motorists heading to and from municipalities situated across the western sector of the district.

The disruptions extended to critical inter-governorate thoroughfares.

'Israeli' settlers shut down the vital Wadi Qana route -the primary highway linking Salfit and Qalqilya- cutting off transit between the two districts.

Concurrently, the Wadi al-Shaer route, serving as the central artery between the town of al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya and Salfit, was blocked, while rocks and physical barriers were dumped at Salfit's northern entrance to further tighten movement restrictions on local residents.

مستوطنون يشعلون الإطارات المطاطية ويغلقون الطريق في منطقة وادي قانا، شمال غرب سلفيت، في مشهد يعيق حركة المواطنين والمركبات، ويزيد من معاناة الأهالي https://t.co/0Q5ODdYEp7

— سم𓂆ح 313 (@313fap8z) November 2, 2026

The settler campaign unfolded alongside the 'Israeli' military's formal announcement on Monday that it had withdrawn its forces from Hebron in the southern occupied West Bank, concluding a ten-day operation launched in alleged response for an operation that left two 'Israeli' soldiers dead.

That operation took place on October 23 at an 'Israeli' military checkpoint near Hebron, days ahead of tightly contested 'Israeli' elections, when two Palestinian gunmen carried out a shooting before being killed in an exchange of gunfire.

Read more: ‘Israel’ launches major attack on West Bank after ‘Israeli’ soldiers killed

Following the checkpoint assault, 'Israeli' army immediately demolished surrounding structures, with officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, claiming extensive reprisals.

The 'Israeli' military campaign prompted the forced evacuation of Deir Bahha -the whole neighborhood where the two gunmen lived- alongside a second adjacent district.

The evacuation displaced at least 3,189 Palestinians, among them roughly 200 infants, according to Hebron municipal figures released at the time.

Following the troop withdrawal, residents returned to inspect widespread disruption inside homes searched by soldiers, an Agence France-Presse correspondent observed on Monday.

An 'Israeli' military official confirmed the end of the raid, stating: "This morning, following the completion of all operational activities, soldiers withdrew from the campaign area in Hebron, while counter-terrorism operations will continue across Judea and Samaria," using the biblical terminology for the occupied West Bank.

The official alleged that forces conducted targeted searches across multiple sites, detained suspects for interrogation, and seized four firearms along with tactical vests and military equipment.

Troops also carried out the punitive demolition of the two attackers' family homes and sealed off an underground space adjacent to one of the residences.