Hebron Residents Face Forced Evictions After Checkpoint Killings

Israel has initiated a military and administrative campaign against the Palestinian city of Hebron. The actions follow a fatal gunfight near a checkpoint outside the city that killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a siege over Hebron and the nearby town of Halhul. He ordered that residents of the neighborhoods where the gunmen originated be forced from their homes. The government promised widespread demolitions of structures in those areas. The first building was torn down within hours of the attack, while government ministers visited the scene ahead of Tuesday's elections.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich recorded a video of himself standing before a bulldozer destroying a Palestinian home. He stated the demolition was intended to create deterrence and impose a price. Officials did not claim a link between the building owners and the attackers. The structure had been built without permits. The Israeli high court quickly issued a temporary order stopping the work. Human rights lawyer Mohammed Dahleh filed the petition on behalf of two local factory owners. He argued the actions violated international law regarding collective punishment. Dahleh said the move attempted to copy illegal practices from Gaza.

Defence Minister Israel Katz promised further displacement and demolitions. He compared the treatment of Hebron to the Jenin refugee camp, where nearly 20,000 people have been displaced. Katz stated that every clan neighborhood from which the terrorists emerged would be evacuated. Hebron is the largest Palestinian city in the West Bank, home to about 250,000 people. Netanyahu said plans are underway for the largest military operation in the West Bank since 1967, though no specific date has been set.

The Israeli military reported that two men armed with an assault rifle and a handgun carried out the attack. They drove a car with Israeli plates and opened fire after being stopped at a temporary checkpoint. A 20 minute gunfight ensued before both men were killed. An AFP photographer witnessed the exchange while traveling to another assignment. Two Palestinian men were seen firing an automatic rifle and a handgun at Israeli forces.

Prominent Israelis, including a candidate for the far-right Amcha Yisrael party, spread theories linking the photographer to the gunmen. The Foreign Press Association described the claims as dangerous and defamatory. The group noted the photographer is a longtime professional. This incident followed a similar attack on photographer Heidi Levine a week earlier during the olive harvest. Since October 2023, more than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited Hebron on Friday to demand the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority.

The next step in the military operation has not been scheduled. Netanyahu indicated the plan is on the way. The high court order currently halts the initial demolitions pending further review.