Hebron operation displaces families as West Bank movement tightens

The Israeli military said it launched an operation in Hebron on Friday after two Palestinian gunmen opened fire near a checkpoint, killing two Israeli soldiers and wounding three others. The military said its forces killed both attackers. It described the follow-up as searches for weapons and people it suspects of militant activity, said residents would leave the cordoned area through designated points after screening, and said the operation could last several days.[1][2]

By Sunday, the Associated Press reported that the military said it had operated in more than 400 locations over the weekend and arrested 40 Palestinians it said were affiliated with Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad. AP reporters described road gates closed to Palestinian drivers and residents carrying supplies through gaps on foot. The military’s stated search rationale and the effects on residents are separate parts of the story; the reported affiliations are the military’s claims.[3]

AP said Hebron municipal officials estimated that 200 to 300 families had been displaced overnight from Deir Bahha and four surrounding neighborhoods, most moving elsewhere in the city. Reuters, citing a Palestinian official on Saturday, reported about 1,200 people had left their homes. The Palestinian news agency WAFA cited the Hebron governor and mayor for a Saturday estimate of about 1,500 people displaced and a plan affecting another 2,500. Those estimates describe different times and sometimes different areas; they should not be added together.[3][4][5]

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz told public broadcaster KAN that about 2,000 residents had been evacuated and would not be allowed to return until the military had dealt with what he called Hamas infrastructure in Hebron, Al Jazeera reported. AP’s family estimate and the other population counts differ in unit, scope and reporting time. No single independently verified total was available in the reporting reviewed for this article.[6][3][4][5]

The Palestinian Authority called the operation collective punishment, according to WAFA. That is the Authority’s characterization, not a court finding. The Israeli military has described the operation as focused on the area from which the attackers came and aimed at locating weapons and suspected militant infrastructure. The accounts reviewed do not independently establish the military’s claims about the people or infrastructure targeted.[5][2][3]

The military said Palestinian laborers would be barred from most settlements in the West Bank and Jordan Valley on Sunday and Monday, with exceptions for some industrial zones and approved areas. It also announced a wider labor restriction and closure of land crossings on election day, Tuesday, Oct. 27. AP reported that crossings into Israel would remain closed until after the vote. The election measure is distinct from the Hebron cordon, though it adds to movement limits reported across the territory.[7][3]

Israeli leaders have linked the response to security ahead of the vote, while AP quoted an analyst who said politicians were projecting toughness toward Palestinians. The timing is documented; it does not by itself establish that the operation was ordered for electoral reasons. The military said searches would continue for several days, and the estimates of displaced residents may change as access and reporting develop.[3][2]