Siege of Hebron Begins After Fatal Shootout

Israel has sealed off Hebron and the neighboring town of Halhul.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the blockade following an attack that killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others. The incident occurred at a temporary checkpoint outside the city. Netanyahu stated that residents from the neighborhoods where the gunmen originated would be forced to leave. He also ordered the mass demolition of homes in those areas.

The first demolition began within hours of the firefight. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich posted a video of himself standing in front of a bulldozer as it destroyed a Palestinian home. The structure had been built without permits. Smotrich said the action was intended to create deterrence and exact a price. No link was established between the building owners and the attackers.

The Israeli high court issued a temporary order halting the demolitions shortly after work started. Human rights lawyer Mohammed Dahleh filed an urgent petition on behalf of two nearby factory owners. He argued the action breached international law regarding collective punishment and Israeli administrative law. Dahleh described the move as an attempt to copy illegal practices from Gaza in the heart of the West Bank.

Michael Sfard, an Israeli lawyer, called Smotrich's video a direct admission that the demolitions amounted to collective punishment. He noted that deterrence has historically been used to justify such actions. Defence Minister Israel Katz promised further displacement and demolition. He compared the treatment of Hebron to the Jenin refugee camp, where nearly 20,000 people have been forced from their homes. Katz said every clan neighborhood from which terrorists emerged would be evacuated. Hebron, home to about 250,000 residents, is the largest Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank. Netanyahu said plans were drawn up for the largest military operation in the West Bank since 1967. No date was set, but he said the operation is on the way.

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 opened fire after being stopped at the checkpoint. Both men were killed in a gunfight that lasted 20 minutes. An AFP photographer witnessed the exchange while traveling to another assignment. He saw two Palestinian men firing an automatic rifle and a handgun at Israeli forces. Prominent Israelis, including a candidate for the far-right Amcha Yisrael party, shared theories linking the photographer to the gunmen. The Foreign Press Association called the claims dangerous and defamatory. This episode followed an incident a week earlier where settlers severely injured photographer Heidi Levine.

Since the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023, the West Bank has seen increased settlement expansion and violence. More than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers. Attacks have intensified since the olive harvest began in late September. Polls suggest the governing far-right coalition may lose its majority in Tuesday's elections. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir traveled to Hebron on Friday. He demanded the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority and tighter limits on Palestinian movement.