Hebron District Sealed and Demolished as Israeli Election Nears

Israeli military forces have destroyed 35 hectares of urban housing in the Hebron district of Ein Deir Baha, displacing approximately 1,500 residents as the national election approaches in four days.

The Hebron municipality reported that the sealed-off city of 250,000 residents saw extensive damage across several blocks. By Saturday afternoon, local authorities confirmed that around 300 families had been evicted from their homes. Checkpoints were established at every entry point to the city, restricting movement for the remaining population.

The operation followed a Friday attack by two gunmen at an Israeli military checkpoint outside Hebron. A 20-minute gunfight resulted in the deaths of two Israeli soldiers and three wounded, with both militants killed in the exchange. Authorities identified Ein Deir Baha as the home district of the attackers.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the checkpoint site with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Netanyahu stated that Israel would "act to destroy this place." Smotrich, running with a smaller coalition party, was filmed in body armor during the demolition and ordered the immediate removal of structures adjacent to the attack site. He called for a "comprehensive military campaign" similar to operations in Gaza and Lebanon.

Residents shared videos showing houses reduced to rubble, soldiers marking buildings with black crosses, and a bulldozer dismantling a stone wall. One residential building, owned by a prominent Hebron family, was draped in Israeli flags and converted into a temporary military headquarters.

Issa Amro, a civil rights activist in Hebron, described the action as collective punishment. He said his sister's family was among those displaced and that many residents had no connection to the Friday shooting. Amro questioned whether the demolitions were driven by election propaganda or post-election planning. The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israel plans to displace an additional 2,500 people.

The municipality has opened community halls and children's play areas to house displaced families. Some residents have found temporary shelter with friends or relatives. The Israeli army has not yet responded to requests for comment on the scale of the destruction or the videos circulating from the site.