Hebron Cleanup: Hundreds Evicted Before Election

For hundreds of families in the West Bank city of Hebron, the days leading up to the national election have been marked by sudden displacement. Local authorities state that a significant portion of the Ein Deir Baha district has been flattened, forcing approximately 1,500 people to leave their homes by Saturday afternoon. The city, which is home to 250,000 residents, has been sealed off with checkpoints at every entry point, creating a tight perimeter around the affected area.

The situation escalated quickly following an incident on Friday. Two gunmen attacked an Israeli military checkpoint outside the city. After a twenty-minute exchange of gunfire, two soldiers were killed and three were wounded. Both attackers were also killed during the engagement. Local officials identified the Ein Deir Baha district as the home base of the gunmen, which led to the subsequent military operation in that specific neighborhood.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich visited the checkpoint site to signal a strong response. With elections just four days away, both leaders emphasized the need for a fierce and immediate reaction. Netanyahu stated that the country would act to destroy the location. Smotrich, who is running on a smaller coalition ticket, was seen in body armor near a building being demolished. He described the action as the removal of illegal structures and called for a broader military campaign similar to those seen in Gaza and Lebanon.

Residents captured the extent of the damage on video. Footage showed entire blocks of houses reduced to rubble and soldiers marking buildings with black crosses. In one clip, a large residential building belonging to a prominent local family was draped in Israeli flags and used as a temporary military headquarters. Another video showed a bulldozer demolishing a stone wall on a hillside, illustrating the scale of the physical changes in the district.

The Hebron municipality estimated that 35 hectares of land, or about 86 acres, were either destroyed or marked for destruction. A spokesperson for the city said that about 300 families had been formally evicted. Many residents have found temporary shelter with friends and relatives. For those without that support, the municipality has opened community halls and play areas to house the displaced families. The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that plans are in place to displace another 2,500 people in the coming days.

Issa Amro, a civil rights activist in Hebron, said his sister's family was among those forced out. He described the operation as a form of collective punishment for an attack that the general population did not support. Amro noted that the timing raises questions about the long-term intentions behind the demolition. He told reporters in a telephone interview that he could not yet determine if the actions were strictly for political propaganda or part of a serious post-election strategy.

The Israeli army has been approached for comment regarding the videos and the scale of the operation. As the election date approaches, the focus remains on how the government will manage the aftermath of the checkpoint attack and the resulting displacement of thousands of residents in the West Bank.