Israeli forces displace 1,200 Palestinians in Hebron after deadly attack on soldiers

The Israeli military forced around 2,000 Palestinians to leave their homes in Hebron in the occupied West Bank, Israeli defence minister Israel Katz confirmed Saturday in an interview with public broadcaster, Kan – a day after a Palestinian attack killed two Israeli soldiers.

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

An earlier estimation by a Palestinian official said on Saturday had put the figure at 1,200 displacements, while Yousef Zouhair Al-Jabari, head of Hebron's municipality estimated another 1,300 would face losing their homes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday said the military would launch ‌a large-scale operation after the soldiers were killed when two Palestinian gunmen opened fire ⁠at a military checkpoint near the city. The Israeli military said the gunmen were shot dead.

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They also said the operation in the Al-Jaladah and Ein Deir Baha ‌neighbourhoods near the military checkpoint at the entrance of Hebron was to search for militants ⁠and weapons. In a statement, it also said the military would carry out demolitions.

The Palestinian Authority criticised the operation as a "collective punishment" and called on Saturday for international pressure on Israel to protect Palestinians following the displacements.

Al-Jabari also said the Israeli operations were ‌motivated by parliamentary elections on Tuesday when Netanyahu's right-wing coalition may lose his majority, opinion polls show.

"Netanyahu and the radical ministers in his government are trying to win as many votes as possible from the settlers," the Hebron official added.

The non-governmental organisation the Palestinian ‌Prisoners' Club said Israeli forces had arrested around 70 Palestinians on Friday and Saturday. Israeli officials have not commented on any arrests.

Rapid expansion of settlements

Al-Jabari said the military had demolished shops, factories, homes, and roads in Hebron and that the response was disproportionate and unjustified.

Residents in Hebron told Reuters that the military expelled many people with no connection to the Palestinian attackers.

"We are calling on officials to stand by us because we are not involved in any of this. There are children. We are isolated; we don’t do anything. This is all arbitrary,” said Majdi Nasser, one of those driven from his home.

Residents told Reuters they saw Israeli soldiers marking homes with a black X after their Palestinian occupants had been forced to leave. It was not immediately clear what the X mark meant.

Netanyahu's government has presided over a rapid expansion of settlements, deemed illegal by UN bodies and most countries, though Israel disputes this.

Across the West Bank, Israel has blocked the entrances to most Palestinian cities and towns, severely curtailing Palestinians' freedom of movement.

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Yousef Mur, a resident of the Palestinian town of ⁠Yatta, said the closures meant he was unable to reach Jerusalem with his daughter for her cancer treatment.

"The situation is bad, and we are ⁠suffering. When we tried to cross, they fired stun grenades towards us, and my girl got scared on the way. They fired stun grenades towards people. The situation is very difficult," Mur said.

(FRANCE 24 with Reuters and AFP)