Israeli soldiers raze neighborhood in Hebron, families forced to flee

Israeli soldiers razed a neighborhood in the Ein Deir Baha area of the West Bank city of Hebron, forcing hundreds of families from their homes. Local Palestinian officials described the demolition as collective punishment, while the Israeli military stated they aimed to eliminate security risks.

The demolitions carried out by Israeli forces in Hebron followed an incident on Friday when two gunmen attacked a military checkpoint, resulting in the deaths of two Israeli soldiers, the injury of three others, and the neutralization of the two attackers. According to estimates by the Hebron municipality, as of Saturday afternoon, 35 hectares of land in the Ein Deir Baha area had been razed or marked for demolition; while the city of 250,000 residents was blockaded with checkpoints, approximately 1,500 people were evacuated from their homes.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich visited the site, with Smotrich ordering the demolition of structures he described as illegal. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that approximately 2,000 residents in the area belonged to a clan linked to Hamas, the group to which the attackers belonged, and that the demolitions were carried out to remove security risks and illegal infrastructure. Local authorities, however, characterized the move as collective punishment.