Hebron Operation: Army Begins Demolitions Across West Bank City

Israeli forces began demolishing homes and businesses in the West Bank city of Hebron on Friday, an operation that local officials say has displaced hundreds of families and restricted movement for the city's 200,000 residents. Video shared online showed bulldozers leveling at least one full street.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the operation hours after two Palestinian gunmen attacked a checkpoint, killing two Israeli soldiers and wounding three others. Both attackers were killed in the response. Netanyahu said buildings near the checkpoint and the neighborhoods the gunmen came from would be destroyed. The Israel Defense Forces posted on social media that it had dozens of targets across the West Bank and that operations would continue for several days. The army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Hebron Mayor Youssef al-Jaabari said the operation centers on Ein Deir Baha and Farsh al-Hawa, striking homes, businesses, industrial sites and infrastructure. Dozens of families spent Friday night outdoors, and some were told to leave without their vehicles, he said. The military sprayed paint on houses marked for demolition. Al-Jaabari estimates the operation will displace 2,500 people across roughly 0.35 sq km of urban land. The city's governor and deputy mayor put the displaced figure at 200 families so far.

The attack came four days before Israel's general election. Netanyahu, whose campaign rests on security promises, canceled Friday morning campaign events and traveled to Hebron in protective armor. "We will evacuate the residents, go house to house, remove the weapons we find there, and deal with and destroy all terrorist infrastructure," he said. He also said he had reviewed plans for the largest West Bank military operation since 1967, without giving a date, and it was not clear whether the Hebron operation was part of those plans. In an interview with Israel's i24 television channel released Saturday, he threatened "a very big surprise" for the Palestinian Authority.

The Palestinian Authority called for international action beyond condemnation to prevent further forced displacement. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged a West Bank campaign "exactly like in Gaza or Lebanon," while National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called for the Palestinian Authority to be dismantled. Speaking to journalists, al-Jaabari said the operation was "driven by the elections" and that Netanyahu and his ministers sought votes from the far right and settlers. The army said operations would continue for several days.

The Israel Defense Forces posted on social media that it had dozens of targets across the West Bank. The IDF did not immediately answer a request for comment.