Israeli forces began demolishing buildings and displacing families in Hebron after a checkpoint shooting killed two Israeli soldiers, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordering a siege on the city and vowing to "destroy" the neighbourhood the attackers came from [2][8][17]. Troops are conducting house-to-house searches, mass arrests and demolitions across Hebron, with all checkpoints and crossings closed for Palestinians across the West Bank [1][3][15][16].
The Israeli military and Shin Bet announced a multi-day counterterrorism operation to "locate and dismantle terrorist infrastructure" and weapons in the Hebron area, describing the action as "targeted and limited" [4][10][23]. Residents were permitted to leave through three designated exit points after security screening [14][19][33]. The military said it found a large quantity of ammunition in the attackers' vehicle and assessed that they intended a wider attack on a nearby road [2][32]. President Isaac Herzog condemned the attack and said Israel faces a persistent terror threat requiring decisive action [12].
Netanyahu said he and the defence minister were considering an operation on a scale not seen since the Six-Day War, with evacuations, house-to-house searches and destruction of what he called terrorist infrastructure [3][4][23]. "We will act to destroy this place, to change it completely," Netanyahu said [1][25]. He also promised a "very big surprise" for the Palestinian Authority, saying he would neutralize the threat by means he preferred not to name [5][6][19]. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for a campaign "exactly like in Gaza" and announced the establishment of four new settlement farms in the southern Hebron hills [1][7][17]. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir demanded the Palestinian Authority be dismantled, saying it incites murder in Judea and Samaria [4][19]. Defence Minister Israel Katz said every neighbourhood from which the attackers emerged would be evacuated, comparing the approach to Gaza and the Jenin refugee camp [8].
Palestinian officials, human rights organisations and UN voices described the operation as collective punishment. The Palestinian Authority called for urgent international action beyond condemnation, saying the measures amount to collective punishment that will increase tensions [6][16][19]. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanded concrete and deterrent measures from the international community and instructed its embassies to mobilise urgent action [6][31]. B'Tselem warned that the planned offensive amounts to "collective punishment and acts that could constitute war crimes" and called on the world not to stand by [1][4][16]. The Arab League condemned the operation, saying the practices may constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity [31].
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed alarm over sweeping closures, home demolitions and possible displacement, and called on all parties to cease violence and exercise restraint [13]. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the closures "severely restrict Palestinians' freedom of movement, access to basic services and livelihoods" [13]. The UN Human Rights Office's Mayy El Sheikh called the lockdown "yet another episode in a never-ending stream of suffocating measures making life more and more unbearable for Palestinians," noting that Hebron's entrances were closed, the Ibrahimi Mosque was shut and the olive harvest is being harmed [1][13].
Israeli human rights lawyer Mohammed Dahleh argued the demolitions violate international law on collective punishment, calling them "an attempt to copy the illegal practices used in Gaza, in the heart of the West Bank" [8]. Lawyer Michael Sfard called Smotrich's video beside a bulldozer a "direct admission" that the demolitions were collective punishment [8]. Israel's High Court issued a temporary order stopping the demolitions after an urgent petition [8].
Displaced residents described being awakened overnight and ordered to leave with little time to prepare — accounts of the notice given ranged from only minutes [28] to two hours [6]. Higazi Shawer al-Tamimi, a Hebron shopkeeper, said soldiers woke him at 1am and told him to leave "until further notice" [5][16][26]. "I have lived through all the stages of the occupation, and I will die here," he said [5]. Another resident, Khaled Shawer al-Tamimi, questioned why he should be displaced for an attack carried out by others: "Why should I be displaced from my house?" [5][16]. Resident Majdi Nasser said he would not leave and was appealing to the UN [28]. Issa Amro, a Palestinian activist in Hebron, said residents are "being collectively punished for something we neither did nor supported" and that their suffering is being used as political material for Israel's elections [17].
Displacement counts vary across sources. Hebron Governor Khaled Dudin cited 150 affected families, while the mayor and activists put the number at 250 [26]. The Hebron City Council estimated 492 families forced from their homes [9]. The municipality estimated 35 hectares destroyed or marked for destruction and about 1,500 people evicted [17]. The discrepancy is unresolved.
Palestinian activists, local officials and residents argued the operation is driven by Netanyahu's electoral calculations rather than genuine security needs. Hebron Mayor Youssef al-Jaabari linked the operation to the coming election, saying Netanyahu and his ministers are trying to win settler votes [28][31]. Activist Isham Sharabati said Palestinians feel the attack is being used in Israel's election campaign to see who announces the most extreme measures against Palestinians [11]. The operation was launched four days before Israeli elections in which security is a key issue [2][4][16].
Human rights monitors situated the operation within a longer arc of settlement expansion and the erosion of Palestinian life in the West Bank. B'Tselem director Yuli Novak called on the world not to stand by as Israel dismantles Palestinian collective life and expands settlements [7]. Yesh Din reported 672 incidents of settler violence over the preceding 26 days, nearly half related to the olive harvest [5][26]. The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission recorded 409 attacks by Israeli forces or settlers against Palestinian farmers and agricultural land during October [1].
Hamas praised the checkpoint shooting as a "heroic operation" and called on supporters to carry out more such attacks, without claiming direct responsibility [4][5][23]. The group described the West Bank operation as an extension of Israel's "criminal aggression" against Palestinians [1]. Israeli military analysis reported by Walla assessed that the attackers were an organised Hamas cell that received assistance, weapons and training, possibly with help from command abroad in Turkey [29].
Israeli military reporting noted that approximately 200 buildings were searched without finding weapons or terror infrastructure, and ten suspects were detained [29][30]. The Palestinian Prisoners' Society reported that Israeli forces raided hundreds of homes, turned dozens into interrogation centres and arrested about 70 Palestinians [1][25]. Israeli forces also raided at least 13 towns in the northern West Bank, detaining dozens in Nablus, Jenin, Tubas and Qalqilya while the Hebron operation continued [22].
The operation's scope and duration remain under assessment. Netanyahu said the army is ready and the timing will be set [23]. The military stated the operation will last several days [4][33]. Governor Dudin warned there is no guarantee the operation will not expand [5][16]. The Palestinian Authority said more than 40,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced since the start of 2025 [1][25].