Hebron Residents Face Mass Displacement as Bulldozers Level Streets Ahead of Vote

Residents of Hebron found their homes and businesses razed on Saturday as Israeli military forces launched a large-scale operation in the West Bank city. The campaign has already displaced at least 200 families, according to the city’s governor and deputy mayor, while local officials estimate that up to 2,500 people will be forced from the area.

Footage shared online showed bulldozers leveling entire streets in the Ein Deir Baha and Farsh al-Hawa neighborhoods. Mayor Youssef al-Jaabari reported that the military targeted homes, industrial sites, and infrastructure across 0.35 square kilometers of urban land. He stated that dozens of families were forced to sleep outdoors after being ordered to leave without their vehicles.

The operation began on Friday following an attack on a checkpoint by two Palestinian gunmen, which killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others. Both attackers were killed in the response. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the demolition of buildings near the attack site and the neighborhoods where the gunmen originated. He traveled to Hebron wearing protective armor and cancelled his party’s morning campaign events.

Netanyahu described the goal as evacuating residents, searching house to house for weapons, and destroying terrorist infrastructure. He also revealed that the government is planning the largest military operation in the West Bank since 1967, though he did not specify when it would begin. The timing of the Hebron sweep comes just four days before Israel’s general election.

Israeli rights groups have long criticized the practice of demolishing homes of suspected attackers as collective punishment. Netanyahu compared the current action to earlier campaigns in 2025, where the military displaced tens of thousands of people from refugee camps in the northern West Bank. The Israel Defense Forces stated in a social media post that they had dozens of targets across the territory and that operations would continue for several days.

Political reactions inside Israel have been sharp. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for a campaign in the West Bank similar to those in Gaza or Lebanon, while National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir demanded the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority. The Palestinian Authority urged the international community to take action beyond condemnation to stop the forced displacement.

Mayor al-Jaabari told journalists that the operation was driven by the upcoming elections. He said Netanyahu and his ministers were attempting to secure votes from the far right and the settler population. The IDF has sealed off Hebron, limiting the movement of its 200,000 residents while the demolition work proceeds.