Palestinian families displaced as Israeli forces demolish Hebron homes, local officials say

ByTom Bennett Reporting fromJerusalem.

Key points

• Hebron's Mayor Youssef al-Jaabari remarked the operation had been centred on the Ein Deir Baha and Farsh al-Hawa neighbourhoods, and targeted homes, businesses, industrial sites and infrastructure.
• He continued that he believed the military planned to displace a total of 2, 500 residents from regarding 0.35 sq km of urban land.
• In an interview with Israel's i24 television channel published on Saturday, he threatened "a very big surprise" for the Palestinian Authority (PA).
• Wreckage in the distance., Wreckage was seen around the site of Friday's shooting after demolitions by Israeli forces End of image gallery.
• The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) did not respond immediately to the BBC's request for comment.

For context, the Israeli military has introduced a sweeping crackdown in the occupied West Bank, demolishing homes and businesses in the city of Hebron and displacing hundreds of families, according to local office-holders.

Footage shared online indicated destruction caused by Israeli bulldozers, with at least one whole street appearing to have been flattened. The military has additionally cordoned off the city, heavily restricting the movement of its 200, 000 residents.

For context, the operation was confirmed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, in response to the killing of two Israeli soldiers by two Palestinian gunmen in an attack on a checkpoint. Three other Israeli soldiers were injured, and the gunmen were additionally killed.

In practice, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) did not respond immediately to the BBC's request for comment. It remarked in an official note on social media that it had dozens of targets throughout the West Bank and that its operations would last for a number of days.

Netanyahu remarked on Friday that buildings around the site of the attack and the neighbourhoods that the two gunmen were from would be "destroyed".

It is common practice for Israeli forces to demolish the homes of Palestinians who are suspected of carrying out attacks on Israelis in the West Bank – a practice Israeli rights groups have criticised as collective punishment.

When the Israeli military demolished hundreds of homes and displaced tens of thousands in 2025, netanyahu likened the operation to previous operations in Palestinian refugee camps in the north of the territory.

Slide 1 of 3, Sandy land around checkpoint. Wreckage in the distance., Wreckage was seen around the site of Friday's shooting after demolitions by Israeli forces End of image gallery.

While homes were marked for demolition with spray paint, he remarked dozens of families had been forced to spend the night outside, with some informed to leave without taking their vehicles.

He continued that he believed the military planned to displace a total of 2, 500 residents from regarding 0.35 sq km of urban land. The city's governor and deputy mayor meanwhile remarked at least 200 families had been displaced.

Friday's shooting came during a tense time for the region, with Israel's general election taking place in four days' time.

Netanyahu – who has built his campaign on the promise of security – cancelled his party's campaign events for Friday morning and headed to Hebron, wearing protective armour and posting a video on social media from the scene.

"We will evacuate the residents, go house to house, remove the weapons we find there, and deal with and destroy all terrorist infrastructure, " he remarked.

He additionally unveiled he had reviewed intends for the largest military operation in the West Bank since 1967 – though did not say when it could be carried out. It is not clear whether the ongoing Hebron operation forms part of that.

In an interview with Israel's i24 television channel published on Saturday, he threatened "a very big surprise" for the Palestinian Authority (PA). It governs parts of the territory.

In an official note, the PA pressed "urgent international action that went beyond condemnation" to prevent further forced displacement.

Meanwhile, his far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich pressed Israel to launch a campaign in the West Bank "exactly like in Gaza or Lebanon, " while far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called for Israel to dismantle the PA.

Speaking to journalists, Hebron's mayor remarked the operation was "driven by the elections, " and that Netanyahu and his ministers were attempting to secure the votes of the far-right and the settlers.

Taken together, the developments around palestinian families displaced as Israeli forces demolish Hebron homes, local officials say point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.