Israel Demolishes Homes in Hebron Amidst Election Tensions

The Israeli military has conducted extensive demolitions of homes and businesses in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, displacing hundreds of families, according to local officials. Footage circulating online depicts destruction by Israeli bulldozers, with entire streets reportedly flattened. The military has also imposed a cordon on Hebron, significantly restricting the movement of its estimated 200,000 residents.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the operation on Friday, stating it was in response to the killing of two Israeli soldiers by two Palestinian gunmen at a checkpoint. Three other soldiers were wounded in the attack, and the gunmen were killed. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have not yet responded to requests for comment but indicated on social media that operations would target dozens of locations across the West Bank and last for several days.

Netanyahu declared on Friday that buildings in the vicinity of the attack and the neighborhoods of the gunmen would be "destroyed." Demolishing the homes of Palestinians suspected of carrying out attacks against Israelis in the West Bank is a common practice, though Israeli human rights groups have criticized it as collective punishment. Netanyahu drew parallels between the current operation and a 2025 military action in Palestinian refugee camps, which resulted in the demolition of hundreds of homes and the displacement of tens of thousands.

Hebron's Mayor Youssef al-Jaabari stated that the operation focused on the Ein Deir Baha and Farsh al-Hawa neighborhoods, targeting residences, commercial properties, industrial sites, and infrastructure. He reported that dozens of families were forced to spend the night outdoors, some without their vehicles, and that homes were spray-painted for demolition. Mayor al-Jaabari estimated that the military intended to displace 2,500 people from approximately 0.35 square kilometers of urban land. The city's governor and deputy mayor reported that at least 200 families had been displaced.

The events of Friday occur during a period of heightened regional tension, with Israel's general election scheduled in four days. Netanyahu, whose campaign platform emphasizes security, canceled his party's campaign events for Friday morning and traveled to Hebron, where he posted a video on social media from the site while wearing protective armor. He stated, "We will evacuate the residents, go house to house, remove the weapons we find there, and deal with and destroy all terrorist infrastructure." He also revealed plans for what he described as the largest military operation in the West Bank since 1967, though it remains unclear if the ongoing Hebron operation is part of this broader plan.

In an interview with Israel's i24 television channel, Netanyahu issued a threat of "a very big surprise" for the Palestinian Authority (PA), which administers parts of the West Bank. The PA responded by calling for "urgent international action that went beyond condemnation" to prevent further forced displacement. Meanwhile, far-right figures, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, advocated for more aggressive military campaigns in the West Bank and the dismantling of the PA, respectively. Hebron's mayor suggested that the operation was politically motivated, driven by the upcoming election and an effort by Netanyahu and his ministers to appeal to right-wing voters and settlers.