Israel Orders Eviction of 250,000 Residents Following Checkpoint Shootout

Two Israeli soldiers died in a firefight outside Hebron on Friday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by declaring a siege on Hebron and the neighboring town of Halhul. He stated that residents of the neighborhoods where the gunmen lived would be forced to leave. The government also announced plans for mass home demolitions. These measures were announced ahead of national elections scheduled for Tuesday.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich filmed a bulldozer tearing down a Palestinian home near the shooting site. The structure had been built without permits. Smotrich described the action as a way to create deterrence and exact a price. No official link was established between the home owners and the attackers. Shortly after the demolition began, Israel's high court issued a temporary order to halt the work. Human rights lawyer Mohammed Dahleh filed an urgent petition on behalf of two nearby factory owners. He argued the action breached international law regarding collective punishment. Dahleh said the move attempted to copy illegal practices used in Gaza within the West Bank.

Michael Sfard, an Israeli lawyer, called Smotrich's video a direct admission that the demolitions constituted collective punishment. Defence Minister Israel Katz promised further displacement. He compared the treatment of Hebron to the Jenin refugee camp, where nearly 20,000 people have been forced from their homes. Katz said every clan neighborhood from which the attackers emerged would be evacuated. Hebron is the largest Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank, with a population of about 250,000. Netanyahu said plans were drawn up for the largest military operation in the region since 1967. He said no date was set, but the operation was on the way.

The Israeli military reported that two men armed with an assault rifle and a handgun carried out the attack. They were driving a vehicle with Israeli number plates. The men opened fire after soldiers stopped them at a temporary checkpoint. A gunfight lasted 20 minutes before both attackers were killed. An AFP photographer witnessed the exchange while en route to another assignment. He saw two Palestinian men firing at Israeli forces.

Prominent Israeli figures, including a candidate for the Amcha Yisrael party, shared conspiracy theories linking the photographer to the gunmen. The Foreign Press Association described the claims as dangerous and defamatory. The association noted the photographer is a longtime professional who documents events in line with his duties. This incident followed a case last week where settlers severely injured photographer Heidi Levine during an olive harvest.

Since October 7, 2023, the West Bank has seen increased settlement expansion and violence. More than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers. Attacks have intensified since the olive harvest began in late September. Polls suggest the governing far-right coalition may lose its majority on Tuesday. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited Hebron on Friday. He demanded the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority and tighter limits on Palestinian movement.