Around 1,200 Palestinians have been forced to leave their homes in Hebron in the occupied West Bank, local authorities said, according to France 24 on 24 October. A further 1,300 residents face losing their homes. The Israeli military operation followed an attack that killed two Israeli soldiers.
Yousef Zouhair Al-Jabari, the head of Hebron’s municipal authorities, said troops had destroyed shops, factories, homes and roads. His figures for those displaced and those at risk are not an independently established count. They describe two separate groups: the approximately 1,300 people at risk should not be added to the number already displaced.
According to France 24’s report, based on Reuters and AFP reporting, two Palestinian attackers opened fire at a military checkpoint near Hebron on Friday 23 October, killing two Israeli soldiers. The Israeli military said the attackers were shot dead. Following the attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a large-scale military operation.
The Israeli military said its operations in the Al-Jaladah and Ein Deir Baha neighbourhoods were aimed at finding militants and weapons. It also announced demolitions.
The Palestinian Authority described the operation as collective punishment. On Saturday 24 October, it called for international pressure on Israel to protect Palestinian residents. That is the Palestinian authorities’ position; the Israeli military describes the operation as targeting militants and their weapons.
