Follow-Up: Hebron Demolitions Displace About 1,200 Palestinians, Another 1,300 at Risk, as UN Voices Deep Concern
HEBRON — The Israeli military began demolitions and forced residents to evacuate in the West Bank city of Hebron on Saturday, October 24, a day after two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a checkpoint, killing two Israeli soldiers. Yousef Zouhair Al-Jabari, the head of Hebron's municipality, said around 1,200 Palestinians had been forced to leave their homes, with around 1,300 more facing losing theirs, as the military demolished shops, factories, homes and roads.
Reuters reported that the operation in the Al-Jaladah and Ein Deir Baha neighbourhoods near the military checkpoint at the entrance of Hebron was to search for militants and weapons and to carry out demolitions. The Palestinian Authority criticised the operation as "collective punishment." The Palestinian Prisoners' Club said Israeli forces had arrested around 70 Palestinians on Friday and Saturday; Israeli officials have not commented on any arrests. Residents told Reuters the military expelled many people with no connection to the attackers. Al-Jabari said the operation was motivated by parliamentary elections on Tuesday, when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition may lose its majority, and that Netanyahu and his ministers were trying to win votes from settlers.
CNN reported that demolitions began on Friday, hours after the attack, which killed two soldiers and lightly wounded three more. Netanyahu on Friday ordered a full closure of the West Bank, then scaled back plans to a cordon around Hebron and Halhul that may extend to other areas, saying the military would forcefully evacuate the area of the attack and "transform it completely," employing the plan used in the Jenin, Tulkarm, Nur Shams and Al-Far'a refugee camps in early 2025, which displaced thousands of Palestinians. The Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Security Agency said residents would be able to leave through three designated exit points and would be subject to questioning and security screening.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Friday he was deeply concerned by the intensifying violence in the West Bank, saying the closures severely restrict Palestinians' freedom of movement, access to basic services and livelihoods. The UN human rights office called the lockdown "yet another episode in a never-ending stream of suffocating measures." The UN noted it was the fourth time in a month that Israel had imposed restrictions across the territory.
Source: GSM News
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 约旦河西岸老城街景（资料画面）。 A West Bank old-city street (file photo).
- 2026-10-23Two Israeli Soldiers Killed in Hebron Checkpoint Shooting: Army Seals Off Hebron After Netanyahu Narrows Closure Order Within Hours
- 2026-10-24Follow-Up: Hebron Demolitions Displace About 1,200 Palestinians, Another 1,300 at Risk, as UN Voices Deep ConcernThis story
