West Bankupdated 1h ago3 min read
MapIsrael Katz Says IDF Operation In Hebron Displaced More Than 2,000 Palestinians
“collective punishment, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir”
“Israel’s ‘Generation Right’ could shape Netanyahu’s future”
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL · Cropped for layout
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IDF operation in Hebron displaced more than 2,000 Palestinians from their homes. The operation unfolded days before Israel's elections, amid heightened West Bank crackdown.
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Hebron displacement after operation
Israel’s lockdown of the occupied West Bank stretched beyond 50 hours as a sweeping military operation in Hebron forced more than 2,000 Palestinians from their homes, according to Al Jazeera’s Jerusalem Daily. Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said, “About 2,000 have been displaced,” and he said selected army units were operating there and “They will not be allowed to return to their neighborhood until we’ve finished dealing with all the Hamas issues in Hebron.” Palestinian officials described the displacement as collective punishment, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir of exploiting the siege for electoral gain, according to Haaretz.
The Times of Israel reported that the Hebron governorate declared a state of emergency and formed a crisis management committee to assist displaced families, citing Hebron Governor Khaled Dudin. The Times of Israel also reported that Hebron Mayor Youssef al-Jaabari told WAFA that Israeli forces were seeking to displace another 2,500 people from two areas in the city.
Eviction timeline and claims
Haaretz described residents of Hebron as facing a nighttime IDF eviction, with residents saying they had “2 hours to leave.” The Times of Israel reported that the military said troops were operating in the Hebron neighborhood where the two gunmen, Mohammad Jaaba and Firas Jaaba, lived, and it said IDF assessments found some 2,000 residents of the area were members of the Jaaba clan affiliated with Hamas. The Times of Israel said the Israel Defense Forces stated that Palestinian civilians who “requested to evacuate” were allowed to leave the area temporarily through designated checkpoints after a security screening.
The Times of Israel reported that the army said it had scanned some 200 sites in Hebron, where no weapons were found, and apprehended 10 suspects for questioning. The Times of Israel quoted Higazi Shawer al-Tamimi, 70, saying the operation was only happening “because Netanyahu wants to win” the election, adding, “He wants to win it with the blood of the Palestinian people.”
Political threats and wider stakes
Benjamin Netanyahu threatened the Palestinian Authority with a “big surprise” after his orders to launch a large-scale military operation, according to جريدة القدس. جريدة القدس said Netanyahu’s far-right allies called for the necessity of dismantling the Palestinian Authority and disarming it completely, while Netanyahu continued to reject the establishment of a Palestinian state. The Palestinian Authority’s foreign ministry called for international pressure on Israel to protect Palestinians, warning that “the growing threats to expand the scope of forced displacement and destruction requires urgent international action.”
The Palestinian government warned that Israel’s continuous escalation in the occupied West Bank, especially in the Hebron Governorate, “will not bring security and peace to anyone,” and it said Israel had displaced more than 40,000 Palestinians from their homes in the north of the West Bank since the beginning of 2025, according to القدس العربي. The Palestinian government said it viewed Israel’s collective punishment measures, including displacement of residents of entire neighborhoods and closure and siege of Palestinian cities, as part of a systematic Israeli policy in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and it warned that Palestinians fear these measures pave the way for formal Israeli annexation of the West Bank.