Troops Raze 35 Hectares in Hebron, Displacing 1,500 Residents

Israeli forces have leveled a neighborhood in Hebron, forcing hundreds of families to leave their homes.

Local Palestinian authorities describe the operation as collective punishment for a recent militant attack on a military checkpoint outside the city. The Hebron municipality stated that 35 hectares in the Ein Deir Baha district were destroyed or marked for demolition. By Saturday afternoon, approximately 1,500 people had been displaced from the area.

The city, which has a population of 250,000, was sealed off with checkpoints at every point of entry. Residents shared videos showing extensive damage, including houses reduced to rubble and soldiers spraying black crosses on homes. One clip showed a bulldozer dismantling a stone wall, while another depicted a large residential building covered in Israeli flags. Residents identified that building as the property of a prominent local family, which was taken over as a temporary military headquarters.

The demolitions began after two gunmen attacked an Israeli checkpoint on Friday. A 20-minute gunfight resulted in the deaths of two Israeli soldiers and three gunmen, with three soldiers wounded. Authorities alleged that the attackers were from the Ein Deir Baha district.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich visited the attack site and promised a strong response. Netanyahu stated that Israel would "act to destroy this place." Smotrich, who is running for election with a smaller coalition party, was filmed in body armor in front of a building being demolished. He said he ordered the "immediate demolition of a wide row of illegal Arab structures adjacent to the attack site" and called for a "comprehensive military campaign" similar to those in Gaza and Lebanon.

A municipality spokesperson confirmed that about 300 families were evicted. Some residents found shelter with relatives, while the municipality opened community halls and children's play areas to house others. The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israel plans to displace a further 2,500 people.

Issa Amro, a civil rights activist in Hebron, condemned the operation. "We are being collectively punished for something we neither did nor supported," he said. He added that his sister's family was among those driven from their homes. Amro said hundreds of families had left with no connection to the Friday attack, noting that it was unclear if the operation was election propaganda or a serious post-election plan. The Israeli army was approached for comment on the operations and the videos of the destruction.