Hebron Sealed and Homes Seized as 2,000 Residents Displaced

Nearly 2,000 residents of Hebron were displaced over a 48-hour period as Israeli military forces took control of homes and industrial zones in the West Bank’s largest city. The displacement followed a fatal shooting at a military checkpoint on Friday, in which two soldiers died. The incident has placed the city at the center of Israel’s national elections, scheduled for Tuesday.

The military action began within hours of the attack. The Farsh al-Hawa neighborhood, located closest to the checkpoint, was cleared of structures. By Sunday morning, the industrial area was reduced to rubble. This zone previously housed car workshops and a large ceramics plant. Simultaneously, forces moved into the Ein Deir Baha district, reportedly because at least one of the attackers lived there. Both gunmen were killed at the scene of the Friday incident.

Fahed Ahmaro, the imam of a local mosque in Ein Deir Baha, described the sudden nature of the eviction. He stated that loudspeakers on military vehicles woke residents around midnight, ordering them to leave for their safety. Ahmaro, who has 30 family members in his home, took his mother and grandchildren to a relative's house. When he returned to collect belongings, a neighbor informed him that the army had demolished the house's gates. "You don't know what you have until you lose it," Ahmaro said. By Sunday, he was buying clothes for his grandchildren, uncertain of when the family would return.

The Hebron municipality reported that 370 families were displaced from the district. The Israeli army characterized the departure as voluntary, stating that civilians were permitted to leave temporarily. Ahmaro disputed this account, asking, "Never, never, never. Why should I leave my house?" Another resident, Abdul Halim al-Tamimi, 77, said soldiers arrived at 1:30 a.m. and gave his family 10 minutes to evacuate. He reported that an intelligence officer threatened to displace the family in the manner used in Gaza if they refused. The family was forced out at 3 a.m. Saturday.

By Sunday morning, the al-Tamimi villa was draped in Israeli flags and used as a temporary army headquarters, surrounded by military vehicles. The army stated that approximately 2,000 locals belonged to the Jaba'a clan, which it linked to the attackers and to Hamas. Residents of Ein Deir Baha rejected this characterization, estimating the clan includes no more than 150 people and has no known history of radicalism. Al-Tamimi noted his family belonged to a different clan and suggested the operation served as campaign publicity for the prime minister.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich visited the site on Friday. The ruling coalition is currently trailing in polls with two days of campaigning remaining. Netanyahu warned of military operations on a scale not seen in the West Bank in nearly 60 years of occupation. The city of 250,000 was sealed off, with all roads closed to cars behind steel barriers. Only pedestrians could move through the city limits by Sunday evening.

The isolation affected local commerce and daily life. Wasam Sadi, a delivery truck driver, arrived at a checkpoint with a smashed windshield and glass in his eyes after settlers attacked his vehicle at a nearby junction. Hebron Mayor Yousef al-Jabari described the measures as collective punishment. He said residents were dragged from their homes and that media access to the affected district was restricted. While Palestinians in the occupied West Bank do not vote in the Tuesday election, the outcome will determine the future of the region.

The military has maintained a heavy presence in Hebron since the attack. The city remains closed to vehicular traffic, and displaced residents are staying with relatives or in temporary accommodations. The political campaign continues in other parts of the country, with the result expected to influence future policy in the West Bank.