In brief
In an unprecedented operation, Israeli forces have bulldozed houses and businesses across the West Bank city of Hebron, creating a rubble‑filled landscape and displacing more than a thousand families. The demolition follows the killing of two Israeli soldiers by suspected gunmen, prompting a swift statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that places the operation within a broader counter‑terrorism campaign. Hebron’s mayor reported that dozens of residents were forced to sleep on the streets, while local officials warned that the total number of displaced could reach 2,500 across 0.35 square kilometers. The crackdown has elicited condemnation from Palestinian authorities and rights groups, characterising it as collective punishment, and it occurs amid heightened tensions as Israel approaches a national election. The scene remains tense as the government prepares for further military action and calls for international intervention.
Bulldozers have churned the streets of Hebron into a landscape of rubble, wiping out homes, shops and public infrastructure in a showdown between Israeli troops and Palestinian residents.
The demolition bushed off an entire street near the checkpoint where Israeli soldiers were ambushed, a scene captured on video and shared across social media. The operation, which now has 1,000 families reportedly displaced, comes after two soldiers were shot dead and three others wounded by suspected gunmen.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the attackers and declared the homes of the culprits as "terrorist infrastructure" to be removed. Speaking from the front line in Hebron, he framed the blow‑back as part of a larger counter‑terrorism campaign that could entail "a very big surprise" for the Palestinian Authority.
Mayor Youssef al‑Jaabari explained that the bulldozing was focused on the Ein Deir Baha and Farsh al‑Hawa neighbourhoods, with authorities warning that an estimated 2,500 people could be forced to leave their homes in less than one‑third of a square kilometre of land.
The Israeli Ministry of Defence has not yet confirmed the full duration of the operation, though officials have stated that it will last several days. The Palestinian Authority has called for urgent international intervention, demanding that the displacement cease and that rights protected by international law be upheld.
At a time when Israel’s general election is just four days away, critics argue that the crackdown is aimed at energising far‑right support and ensuring a hard‑line victory. The scene in Hebron, a city of 200,000 residents, thus becomes a flashpoint for the political and humanitarian crisis that clouds the West Bank.
