Israel displaces thousands in Hebron and closes West Bank crossings before election

Attack near Hebron and Israel's response

Two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others near Hebron, the largest city in the occupied West Bank, on Friday, 23 October. The military said both gunmen were also killed, that weapons were found in their car, and that they were probably planning to attack Israeli civilians before being stopped at a checkpoint. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went to the scene with three members of his right-wing government and vowed a forceful response. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich posted a statement on X from the site, standing in front of a bulldozer. Netanyahu tied the attack to the coming vote, saying he had warned weeks earlier of enemy attempts to harm Israelis ahead of the election.

We will act to destroy this place.

Six Israelis have been killed in attacks in the West Bank this year, in a territory experiencing a surge of violence. In the same period, 112 Palestinians have died, including the two suspected gunmen, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah.

Evacuations and demolitions in Hebron

Residents of Deir Bahha, the neighbourhood where the suspected gunmen lived, were told to leave overnight, and by Saturday, 24 October, its streets were nearly empty apart from military vehicles. Hebron municipal officials said 200 to 300 families had been displaced from Deir Bahha and four surrounding neighbourhoods, most moving to other parts of the city. Mayor Yousef al-Ja'bari told Al Jazeera that 2,200 people had been forced from their homes since Friday, while Europa Press reported that at least 1,500 people had fled on Saturday alone. Defence Minister Israel Katz put the figure at about 2,000 and said:

They will not be allowed to return to their neighbourhood until we've finished dealing with all the Hamas issues in Hebron.

A later count by the Spanish news agency EFE, citing local authorities, registered 2,193 displaced people from 344 families, and 140 of those families said they had no other place to stay. Governor Khaled Dudin denounced the operation as collective punishment of innocent civilians. Israeli authorities said the demolished buildings had been built illegally in Area C, where no building permits have been issued for years, and they cited security reasons.

Arrests and movement limits

The military said it had operated at more than 400 locations across the West Bank and arrested 40 Palestinians it claimed were affiliated with Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Europa Press reported that ten people had been detained for questioning in Hebron, and the army said at least 200 searches there had turned up no weapons so far. For 25 and 26 October, Palestinian workers with permits were to be barred from Israeli communities and industrial zones, with only a limited number of approved areas exempt. Crossings into Israel will remain closed until after the 27 October vote. Some families crossed on foot, passing sacks of flour and gas canisters through military gates, AP reported.

The election backdrop

Israelis go to the polls on 27 October, and the contest is widely framed as a verdict on Netanyahu's leadership and security record during three years of war. Al Jazeera describes the race as tight, with Netanyahu, the country's longest serving prime minister, seeking a new term. Pollsters currently see no majority for either political bloc. Netanyahu had earlier suggested a larger operation was coming, on a scale not seen since Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967. The Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the territory, has called for international pressure on Israel beyond condemnation to protect Hebron's residents.