250,000 residents in Hebron face siege as Israel orders mass evictions

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a siege on Hebron and the neighboring town of Halhul on Friday. He ordered that all residents in the neighborhoods where the gunmen lived be forced out. The Prime Minister also promised mass demolitions of homes in the area.

Hebron is the largest Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank, with a population of approximately 250,000. Netanyahu stated that plans are being drawn up for the largest military operation in the West Bank since 1967. He said no specific date has been set for the operation but confirmed it is on the way.

The orders followed a shootout at a temporary checkpoint outside the city. Two gunmen armed with an assault rifle and a handgun fired at Israeli soldiers. The men were driving a car with Israeli number plates. A gunfight lasted 20 minutes before both attackers were killed. Three other soldiers were wounded in the exchange.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich traveled to the scene shortly after the attack. He posted a video of himself standing in front of a bulldozer as it tore down a Palestinian home near the firefight. Smotrich said the demolition was intended to create deterrence and exact a price. He noted the home had been built without permits, though no link was claimed between the owners and the attackers.

Defence Minister Israel Katz promised further forced displacement and demolitions. He compared the treatment of Hebron to the Jenin refugee camp, where nearly 20,000 people have been displaced. Katz stated that every clan neighborhood from which the terrorists emerged would be evacuated of its residents.

Israel's high court issued a temporary order halting the demolitions shortly after work began. Human rights lawyer Mohammed Dahleh filed an urgent petition on behalf of two nearby factory owners. Dahleh argued the actions breached international law on collective punishment and Israeli administrative law. He described the move as an attempt 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 amounted to collective punishment. He noted that deterrence has historically been used as a justification for such measures.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also visited Hebron on Friday. He demanded the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority and tighter limits on Palestinian movement. The episode occurred amid a surge in violence in the West Bank since October 2023, where more than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers.