Israel has launched a military operation in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, following an attack that killed two Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint near the city.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said around 2,000 residents had been displaced from the Ein Deir Baha and Farsh al-Hawa neighbourhoods, where Israeli forces targeted homes, businesses, industrial sites and infrastructure. Palestinian officials and local authorities reported a lower figure of around 1,500 displaced residents.
“About 2,000 have been displaced. Selected army units are now operating there,” Katz says in an interview with public broadcaster Kan. “They will not be allowed to return to their neighborhood until we’ve finished dealing with all the Hamas issues in Hebron.”
Key developments:
- Israeli officials said the operation could result in the displacement of up to 2,500 people from an area covering around 0.35 square kilometres.
- Palestinian officials said at least 200 families had been displaced, with some residents reportedly forced to leave without vehicles or personal belongings.
- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the operation focused on locating militants, weapons and related infrastructure.
The operation comes days before Israel’s national election, where security is expected to be a major issue for voters. Some Palestinian officials and critics have suggested the timing could benefit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security-focused political message, while the government has said the operation is a response to the killing of Israeli soldiers and aimed at countering militant threats.
The operation comes amid continued instability in the West Bank following the Gaza ceasefire, with Israeli military operations, settler violence, movement restrictions and displacement continuing to affect Palestinian communities.
While the ceasefire reduced the scale of fighting in Gaza, the wider Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains unresolved, with security concerns, humanitarian pressures and political tensions continuing across the region.
Follow on social media TikTok@tut0ughInstagram@tut0ugh Threads@tut0ugh X@tut0ugh YouTube@tut0ugh
