2,500 residents set for displacement in Hebron military sweep

The Israeli military launched a major operation in Hebron, displacing hundreds of families as it demolished homes and businesses in the occupied West Bank city. Local officials confirmed that the army has sealed off the city, restricting the movement of its 200,000 residents while heavy machinery leveled at least one entire street. The Israel Defense Forces stated on social media that it had dozens of targets across the region and that operations would continue for several days.

The campaign began on Friday, immediately following an attack on a checkpoint where two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that buildings near the attack site and the neighborhoods the gunmen came from would be destroyed. He traveled to Hebron wearing protective armor to post a video of the scene, stating that forces would evacuate residents, search houses for weapons, and destroy terrorist infrastructure.

Mayor Youssef al-Jaabari said the operation focused on the Ein Deir Baha and Farsh al-Hawa neighborhoods, targeting homes, businesses, and industrial sites. He reported that dozens of families were forced to sleep outdoors, with some told to leave without their vehicles while houses were marked for demolition with spray paint. Al-Jaabari estimated that the military intends to displace 2,500 people from approximately 0.35 square kilometers of urban land. The city's governor and deputy mayor confirmed that at least 200 families had already been displaced.

The timing of the operation coincides with the Israeli general election, which is scheduled for four days from now. Netanyahu canceled his party's campaign events on Friday morning to oversee the operation. He compared the Hebron sweep to earlier campaigns in northern refugee camps, where the military destroyed hundreds of homes and displaced tens of thousands of people in 2025. He also indicated he had reviewed plans for the largest West Bank military operation since 1967, though it is unclear if the current action is part of that plan.

Within the Israeli government, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged a campaign in the West Bank similar to those in Gaza or Lebanon. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called for the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority. The Palestinian Authority responded by calling for urgent international action beyond condemnation to prevent further forced displacement. Al-Jaabari told journalists that the operation was driven by the elections, as Netanyahu and his ministers sought to win votes from the far right and settlers.

The Israeli military did not immediately answer a request for comment from the BBC. Netanyahu told Israel's i24 television channel in an interview released on Saturday that he had a very big surprise for the Palestinian Authority. The army's statement noted that operations would continue for several days across the West Bank.