Israeli military forces conducted extensive demolitions in the Ein Deir Baha district of Hebron, leveling an estimated 35 hectares of residential area and displacing hundreds of families. According to the Hebron municipality, approximately 1,500 people were evicted from their homes by Saturday afternoon. Video documentation showed widespread destruction across multiple city blocks, with soldiers marking Palestinian residences with black crosses and bulldozers razing structures. The operation followed a Friday attack on an Israeli military checkpoint outside the city in which two gunmen killed two soldiers and wounded three others before being killed themselves.
Israeli political leaders visited the attack site to announce a forceful response. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated Israel would “act to destroy this place,” while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is campaigning for election in four days, ordered “the immediate demolition of a wide row of illegal Arab structures adjacent to the attack site.” Smotrich also called for “a comprehensive military campaign” comparable to operations in Gaza and Lebanon. Ein Deir Baha was identified as the home district of the two gunmen involved in the checkpoint attack.
The Hebron municipality reported that approximately 300 families had been forced from their homes, with some finding shelter in the residences of relatives and others relocating to community halls and facilities opened by local authorities. A Palestinian news agency reported Israeli plans to displace an additional 2,500 residents from the area. Civil rights activist Issa Amro characterized the demolitions as collective punishment, stating that displaced families were unconnected to the attack and that the operation was being used as political material ahead of elections.
The Israeli Defense Forces issued a statement explaining that approximately 2,000 residents in the targeted area belonged to a clan “associated with Hamas” and from which the attackers originated. The IDF stated that residents wishing to evacuate were permitted to leave through designated screening points. The military also said demolitions near the attack site were intended to enforce law and order and remove structures it characterized as security risks built in violation of applicable regulations. The entire city of 250,000 people was sealed by checkpoints at all entry points.
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