Israeli Troops Seal Hebron and Begin Demolitions Days Before Vote
The operation targets two neighborhoods after an attack that killed two soldiers at a checkpoint.
By Malik Salazar ·
The Israeli military began demolishing buildings in Hebron on Friday, cutting off the West Bank city and forcing residents from their homes days before Israel votes on Oct. 28. The army sealed the city, restricting movement for its 200,000 residents.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the campaign after two Palestinian gunmen killed two soldiers at a checkpoint. Three other soldiers were wounded, and both gunmen were killed. Netanyahu said structures near the checkpoint and the neighborhoods the attackers came from would be "destroyed". The IDF said it had identified dozens of targets across the West Bank and that operations would continue for several days.
Hebron Mayor Youssef al-Jaabari said the work was concentrated in Ein Deir Baha and Farsh al-Hawa, damaging homes, businesses, industrial sites and infrastructure. He said dozens of families spent Friday night outdoors, some told to leave without vehicles, while houses were marked for demolition with spray paint. Al-Jaabari put the planned displacement at 2,500 people across roughly 0.35 sq km of urban land. The city's governor and deputy mayor counted at least 200 displaced families.
Netanyahu canceled his party's campaign events for Friday morning and traveled to Hebron in protective armor. "We will evacuate the residents, go house to house, remove the weapons we find there, and deal with and destroy all terrorist infrastructure," he said. He also said he had reviewed plans for the largest military operation in the West Bank since 1967, without giving a date, and said in an interview released Saturday that he had "a very big surprise" for the Palestinian Authority.
Al-Jaabari told journalists the operation was "driven by the elections" and that Netanyahu and his ministers were courting votes from the far right and settlers. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged a campaign in the West Bank "exactly like in Gaza or Lebanon", while National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called for dismantling the Palestinian Authority. The Palestinian Authority asked for "urgent international action that went beyond condemnation" to stop further displacement.
Israel's general election is set for Oct. 28. The IDF did not answer a request for comment on the Hebron operation.
