Israel Orders Evictions in Hebron Following Fatal Checkpoint Attack

The first hammer fell within hours of the gunfire.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a siege on the West Bank cities of Hebron and Halhul on Friday. He stated that residents of the neighborhoods where the gunmen lived would be forced out. Netanyahu also promised widespread destruction of homes in the area. He described the coming military operation as the largest in the region since 1967. No specific date was set for the start of this operation.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich visited the scene of the firefight shortly after it ended. He posted a video of a bulldozer tearing down a Palestinian home near the checkpoint. The structure had been built without permits. Smotrich said the demolition was intended to create deterrence and exact a price. No connection was established between the home's owners and the attackers. Defense Minister Israel Katz promised further evictions. He compared the plan to the treatment of the Jenin refugee camp, where nearly 20,000 people have been displaced.

Israel's high court issued a temporary order halting the demolitions soon after the work began. Human rights lawyer Mohammed Dahleh filed the urgent petition on behalf of two nearby factory owners. Dahleh argued the action breached international law regarding collective punishment. He stated that the move attempted to copy illegal practices from Gaza in the heart of the West Bank. Michael Sfard, a prominent Israeli lawyer, called Smotrich's video a direct admission that the demolitions constituted collective punishment.

The Israeli military reported that two men armed with an assault rifle and a handgun carried out the attack. They drove a car with Israeli number plates and opened fire after being stopped at a temporary checkpoint. A gunfight lasted 20 minutes until both men were killed. An AFP photographer witnessed the exchange while traveling to another assignment. He described seeing two Palestinian men with a handgun and an automatic rifle firing at Israeli forces.

Prominent Israelis, including a candidate for the far-right Amcha Yisrael party, shared theories linking the photographer to the gunmen. The Foreign Press Association called these claims dangerous and defamatory. The association noted the photographer is a longtime professional who documented events in keeping with his duties. This incident occurred a week after settlers severely injured photographer Heidi Levine while she covered the olive harvest.

Hebron is the largest Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank, home to about 250,000 residents. Since October 2023, more than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the territory. Violence has intensified since the olive harvest began in late September. Polls suggest the governing far-right coalition may lose its majority in Tuesday's elections. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also traveled to Hebron on Friday. He demanded the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority and tighter limits on Palestinian movement.