250 Hebron Families Ordered Out After Checkpoint Shooting

Israeli forces began a military operation in Hebron around midnight, giving residents one hour to vacate their homes, according to Khaled al-Qawasmi, deputy mayor of the city. Qawasmi said approximately 250 families have been forced to leave their area so far, adding that the figure is not final because the military siege continues and more families may be evacuated. The operation followed a shooting on Friday near the Farsh al-Hawa checkpoint west of Hebron in which two soldiers were killed and three others wounded. The Israeli military said the two suspected Palestinian attackers were also killed by its forces.

The Israeli military described the operation as one to thwart terrorism and said it was launched in coordination with the Shin Bet and Border Police in the West Bank. The army said it was conducting searches to dismantle what it called terrorist infrastructure and weapons while interrogating dozens of suspects. Residents described being ordered from homes at gunpoint with little time to gather belongings. Abdul Hamid Shahada, a resident, said the military stormed his area shortly after the attack on Friday morning and distributed a map designating homes and adjacent buildings for evacuation.

Shahada said soldiers beat one man during the process. He said his family packed small bags with medicines, phone chargers and documents, and did not sleep all night. Soldiers directed families along a specific route toward Al-Salam Street. Some went to stay with relatives, while others sought shelter at the Child Happiness Centre, which the municipality opened to accommodate them. Shahada said soldiers told his family they could not return until further notice, though some other families were told they would be kept out for six months to a year.

The evictions from al-Jalada, Ein Deir Bahha, Wadi al-Maghariba and Shi'b al-Milh occurred on Saturday morning, according to residents who spoke to Middle East Eye. The al-Jalada neighbourhood is home to the families of Ahmad and Hamouda al-Joba, the two men suspected in the checkpoint shooting, who were killed by Israeli military fire after they reportedly killed two soldiers and wounded others. The forcible displacement has coincided with demolitions targeting residential buildings, commercial shops and industrial facilities in Farsh al-Hawa, west of Hebron. Local sources reported that around seven dunums of land had been leveled.

Israeli forces imposed a closure on Hebron and its surrounding villages, towns and refugee camps, blocking main entrances and roads, while raiding homes, conducting searches and carrying out arrests. Local sources reported that at least 13 Palestinians were arrested in the city, while dozens were detained for several hours and subjected to field interrogations. The Hebron Municipality announced the activation of an emergency plan, including the preparation of shelters for families forced to leave their homes and the establishment of an operations center to monitor residents' needs.

The municipality worked to open centres to accommodate those affected, including family guesthouses, the Childhood Happiness Centre, the Korean Centre and several other facilities, Qawasmi said. He warned that if the military operation continues and expands, it could lead to a crisis in finding shelter, given the limited capacity of the centres already opened. Qawasmi said the military operation has not ended and the closure is not limited to the targeted area, extending to the entrances and gateways of Hebron, with Israeli forces continuing to be deployed across various parts of the city.

Shahada said he and his family stayed in their building as families were forced out, and that he cannot stop thinking about the fate of his home after seeing neighbouring houses with doors and windows left wide open and the interiors ransacked and vandalised by soldiers.