250,000 Hebron Residents Face Eviction as Israel Begins Largest West Bank Operation Since 1967

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the displacement of 250,000 residents in Hebron and the neighboring town of Halhul on Friday. The announcement came after gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others at a checkpoint outside the city. Netanyahu declared a siege on the area and promised mass demolitions of homes in the neighborhoods where the attackers lived. He stated that plans are in place for the largest military operation in the West Bank since 1967, though no specific date has been set.

The first demolition began within hours of the shooting. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right figure, posted a video of himself standing before a bulldozer as it destroyed a Palestinian home near the scene. He described the action as an effort to create deterrence and exact a price. Smotrich noted the structure was built without permits. He made no claim of a link between the building's owners and the two men who fired on the soldiers.

The Israeli military said the attackers were two men armed with an assault rifle and a handgun. They drove a car with Israeli number plates and opened fire after being stopped at a temporary checkpoint. A gunfight lasting 20 minutes ended when both men were killed. An AFP photographer witnessed the exchange, noting the men fired from a vehicle. Later, a candidate for the far-right Amcha Yisrael party shared conspiracy theories linking the photographer to the gunmen. The Foreign Press Association called these claims dangerous and defamatory, describing the photographer as a longtime professional.

Legal challenges emerged quickly. Human rights lawyer Mohammed Dahleh filed an urgent petition with the high court on behalf of two nearby factory owners. He argued the demolition breached international law regarding collective punishment and Israeli administrative law. Shortly after the work started, the court issued a temporary order halting the demolitions. Dahleh stated the actions attempted to copy illegal practices used in Gaza within the West Bank.

Michael Sfard, a leading Israeli lawyer, called Smotrich's video a direct admission that the demolitions were collective punishment. He noted deterrence has been used to justify such measures since antiquity. Defence Minister Israel Katz promised further forced displacement and drew a comparison to the Jenin refugee camp. Nearly 20,000 people have been forced from their homes in Jenin. Katz said every clan neighborhood from which terrorists emerged would be evacuated of its residents.

The incident occurred against a backdrop of rising violence. Since October 2023, more than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the occupied West Bank. Attacks have intensified since the olive harvest began in late September. Settlement expansion has also surged. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir traveled to Hebron on Friday, demanding the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority and tighter limits on movement.

Political stakes are high for the governing far-right coalition. Polls suggest the group may lose its majority in the elections scheduled for Tuesday. Ministers who had been campaigning rushed to the shooting scene on Friday. The coalition backs settlers and has driven the recent expansion policies. The siege and eviction orders place immediate pressure on the civilian population of the largest Palestinian city in the West Bank.