Israeli forces demolish Hebron homes and lock down the West Bank after soldiers are killed

Israeli forces are demolishing homes in Hebron and have imposed a full lockdown of the West Bank after two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers. Both gunmen were also killed in the attack.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the operation on Friday, cancelling campaign events and travelling to Hebron wearing protective armour. He ordered a full lockdown of the West Bank following the attack. Hebron residents can neither enter nor leave the city.

The attack and the response

Two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers and injured three others in the Friday attack. Both gunmen were killed. The nature of the site that was attacked is disputed: one account describes it as a checkpoint, while another says it was an Israeli army reserve base.

Netanyahu said buildings around the site of the attack and the neighbourhoods the two gunmen were from would be destroyed. “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. The IDF said in a statement on social media that it had dozens of targets across the West Bank and that its operations would last for several days.

Demolitions and displacement in Hebron

The operation was centred on the Ein Deir Baha and Farsh al-Hawa neighbourhoods, targeting homes, businesses, industrial sites, and infrastructure. Homes were marked for demolition with spray paint, and some families were told to leave without taking their vehicles. Soldiers announced evacuation orders over loudspeakers late at night, leaving residents with no time to prepare and few places to move to.

Mayor Youssef al-Jaabari says 2,200 people have been forced from their homes. He believed the military planned to displace a total of 2,500 people from about 0.35 sq km of urban land. The city’s governor and deputy mayor said at least 200 families had been displaced. Around 200,000 Palestinians live in Hebron city, with a further 600,000 in the governorate. All 800,000 in the governorate are under siege, according to activist Issa Amro.

“Inside the city, there is no safe place for anyone to hide … the city is really in fear,” Amro said. He said all entrances and exits had been closed since morning. Israeli soldiers fired a stun grenade at Al Jazeera journalists near the Farsh al-Hawa checkpoint in Hebron.

Raids across the West Bank

The Israeli military carried out raids across at least 15 areas of the occupied West Bank on Saturday. Raids targeted Jenin, Nablus, Ramallah, Al-Bireh, Birzeit, occupied East Jerusalem, and Bethlehem. About 70 Palestinians were arrested, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society.

Political pressure and threats

Israeli elections are scheduled for October 27. Netanyahu’s Likud party and right-wing coalition allies are behind in the polls, according to Al Jazeera correspondent Nour Odeh. In an interview with i24 television released on Saturday, Netanyahu threatened a “very big surprise” for the Palestinian Authority. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for a campaign in the West Bank “exactly like in Gaza or Lebanon.” Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called for Israel to dismantle the PA.

The Palestinian Authority called for international intervention and described Israel’s actions as collective punishment. Hamas said in a statement that the campaigns and escalations “will only fuel further outrage.” Mayor al-Jaabari said the operation was “driven by the elections.”