Netanyahu and Smotrich Order Hebron Homes Cleared After Checkpoint Killings

Israeli troops dismantled a residential district in the West Bank city of Hebron, displacing hundreds of families in response to a fatal attack on a military checkpoint. Local authorities describe the operation as a collective punishment measure following a gunfight that killed two soldiers.

The Hebron municipality reported that 35 hectares, or 86 acres, within the Ein Deir Baha district were destroyed or marked for demolition. By Saturday afternoon, roughly 1,500 residents had been forced from their homes. The city, home to 250,000 people, was sealed off with checkpoints at every entry point.

Videos from the scene showed entire urban blocks reduced to rubble. Residents captured soldiers marking Palestinian homes with black crosses and a bulldozer removing a stone wall on a hillside. One clip showed a large residential building draped in Israeli flags, which residents said belonged to a prominent local family and now serves as a temporary military headquarters.

The destruction followed a Friday attack by two gunmen on an Israeli military checkpoint outside the city. After a 20-minute exchange of fire, two Israeli soldiers died and three were wounded. Both gunmen were killed. Authorities alleged the attackers came from the Ein Deir Baha district.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich visited the checkpoint site and pledged a fierce response. Netanyahu stated that Israel would "act to destroy this place." Smotrich, who is running in a smaller coalition, ordered the immediate demolition of "a wide row of illegal Arab structures adjacent to the attack site." He called for a comprehensive military campaign similar to operations in Gaza and Lebanon.

A municipality spokesperson said about 300 families were evicted. The agency reported that Israel plans to displace an additional 2,500 people. Issa Amro, a civil rights activist in Hebron, said his sister's family was among those displaced. He described the operation as political material for the upcoming elections, noting that many families had no connection to the attack.

The Israeli army did not respond to requests for comment regarding the scope of the demolitions or the videos showing widespread destruction.