Troops Raze 35 Hectares in Hebron as Israeli Election Nears
Local authorities report 1,500 residents displaced after an attack on a checkpoint, with officials promising a fierce military response before the vote in four days.
By Stefan Greco ·
Israeli forces have flattened a residential district in the West Bank city of Hebron, displacing approximately 1,500 people as national elections approach in four days. Local Palestinian authorities described the operation as a collective punishment measure following a militant attack on an army checkpoint.
The Hebron municipality stated that 35 hectares, or 86 acres, in the Ein Deir Baha district were destroyed or marked for demolition. By Saturday afternoon, the city was sealed off with checkpoints at every entry point. A municipality spokesperson indicated that roughly 300 families had been evicted, with some residents sheltering with relatives while others were moved to community halls and children's play areas.
The destruction followed a Friday attack by two gunmen on a military post outside the city. A 20-minute gunfight left two Israeli soldiers dead and three wounded, while both attackers were killed. Officials alleged that the Ein Deir Baha district was the home base for the gunmen. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the site and said Israel would "act to destroy this place".
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is running for election with a smaller coalition party, also visited the area. He was filmed in body armor while a Palestinian building was demolished. Smotrich said he ordered the immediate removal of "a wide row of illegal Arab structures" near the attack site and called for a comprehensive military campaign similar to those conducted in Gaza and Lebanon.
Residents documented the damage through video clips showing entire urban blocks reduced to rubble. One clip showed soldiers marking houses with black crosses, while another depicted a bulldozer demolishing a stone wall. A large residential building belonging to a prominent local family was draped in Israeli flags and converted into a temporary military headquarters. The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israel plans to displace a further 2,500 people.
Issa Amro, a civil rights activist in Hebron, described the operation as political material for the upcoming vote. "We are being collectively punished for something we neither did nor supported," he said. Amro noted that his sister's family was among those displaced and questioned whether the action was election propaganda or a serious plan for post-election decisions.
The Israeli army was contacted for comment regarding the scale of the operations and the widespread destruction shown in resident videos.
Source: The Guardian
