Hebron Residents Face Mass Eviction Orders

Approximately 250,000 residents of Hebron now face orders to leave their homes and restrictions on movement. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a siege on the city and the neighboring town of Halhul. He stated that all residents from the specific neighborhoods where the attackers lived would be forced out.

The escalation began after gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others near a checkpoint outside the city. The attack occurred on Friday. Within hours, the first demolition of a Palestinian home started. Ministers arrived at the scene as the work began.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich posted a video showing himself in front of a bulldozer tearing down a structure near the firefight site. The building had been constructed without permits. Smotrich said the action was intended to create deterrence and exact a price. He did not claim a link between the building owners and the attackers.

Israel's High Court issued a temporary order halting the demolitions shortly after the work commenced. Human rights lawyer Mohammed Dahleh filed an urgent petition on behalf of two nearby factory owners. Dahleh argued the demolition breached international and Israeli administrative law. He described the action as an attempt to copy illegal practices used in Gaza.

Defence Minister Israel Katz promised further displacement and compared the situation to the Jenin refugee camp, where nearly 20,000 people have been forced from their homes. Katz stated that every clan neighborhood from which the terrorists emerged would be evacuated. Netanyahu said plans were drawn up for the largest military operation in the West Bank since 1967, though no specific date has been set.

The Israeli military reported that two men armed with an assault rifle and a handgun carried out the attack. They drove a car with Israeli number plates and fired after being stopped at a temporary checkpoint. Both men were killed during a 20-minute gunfight. An AFP photographer witnessed the exchange while en route to another assignment.

The Foreign Press Association called recent conspiracy theories linking the photographer to the gunmen dangerous and defamatory. The association described the photographer as a longtime professional. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also visited Hebron on Friday, demanding tighter limits on Palestinian movement and the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority.