250,000 residents face eviction in Hebron following checkpoint firefight
Israel ordered a siege and mass demolitions in the West Bank city after two soldiers were killed, a move critics say constitutes collective punishment.
By Alina Carter ·
Residents of Hebron and the nearby town of Halhul now face forced evacuation following an order from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The directive targets neighborhoods from which gunmen emerged during a recent attack, leaving approximately 250,000 people in the largest Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank under threat of displacement.
The siege was announced after two Israeli soldiers were killed and three others wounded near a checkpoint outside Hebron. The Israeli military reported that two men armed with an assault rifle and a handgun opened fire from a car with Israeli number plates. Both attackers were killed in a 20-minute gunfight. Within hours of the shooting, the first home demolition began, with ministers rushing to the scene ahead of Tuesday's elections.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right leader, posted a video of himself standing before a bulldozer tearing down a Palestinian home. He stated the action was intended to "create deterrence and exact a price." He noted the building lacked permits but claimed no link between the owners and the attackers. Defence Minister Israel Katz promised further mass demolitions and forced displacement, comparing the plan to the treatment of the Jenin refugee camp, where nearly 20,000 people have been displaced. Katz said every clan neighborhood from which the terrorists emerged would be evacuated.
Legal challenges have already begun. Human rights lawyer Mohammed Dahleh filed an urgent petition with Israel's high court, which issued a temporary order halting the demolitions. Dahleh argued the actions breached international law on collective punishment. He described the scene as an attempt to copy illegal practices used in Gaza. Michael Sfard, a leading Israeli lawyer, called Smotrich's video a "direct admission" that the demolitions amounted to collective punishment, noting deterrence has been a justification for such measures since antiquity.
The incident also sparked a dispute involving media. An AFP photographer witnessed the exchange and was later linked to the gunmen by prominent Israelis, including a candidate for the far-right Amcha Yisrael party. The Foreign Press Association called these claims "dangerous and defamatory," describing the photographer as a longtime professional. This follows a week in which settlers severely injured photographer Heidi Levine while she documented olive harvesting.
Netanyahu said plans are being drawn up for the largest military operation in the West Bank since 1967. He stated no date has been set, but the operation is "on the way." National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited Hebron on Friday, demanding the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority and tighter limits on movement.
Since October 7, 2023, more than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank. Attacks have intensified since the olive harvest began in late September. Polls suggest the governing far-right coalition may lose its majority in Tuesday's elections.
