Israeli army withdraws from Hebron after operation displaces thousands of Palestinians
The Israeli army has pulled back following an operation in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron launched in the wake of an attack that killed two soldiers in late October, a military official said Monday. The operation had emptied a neighbourhood in the West Bank 's largest city where the two gunmen had lived. AFP journalists witnessed residents returning to their homes on Monday after the military left. Read more Israeli forces displace 2,000 Palestinians in Hebron after deadly attack on soldiers "This morning, following the completion of all operational activities, the soldiers withdrew from the area of operation in Hebron.
Counterterrorism activities throughout Judea and Samaria continue," the official said, using the biblical name for the Palestinian territory. On October 23, days ahead of close-fought Israeli elections , two Palestinian gunmen attacked an army checkpoint near Hebron , killing two soldiers and prompting promises of a major retaliatory operation from senior officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu . By the following morning, the military had cleared out the residents of the assailants' neighbourhood, displacing more than 3,000 people, according to the municipality.
Two Palestinian men stand together near a building marked by the Israeli military in the occupied city of Hebron in the West Bank on November 2, 2026. © Mussa Qawasma, Reuters The military official said that "soldiers conducted thorough searches of multiple locations, detained and questioned suspects, and located and confiscated four weapons, several vests, and additional military equipment". They also demolished the two attackers' homes and "sealed an underground space located next to" one of them.
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The article reports only that soldiers demolished the two attackers' homes. It leaves out that the Hebron Governorate counted 15 homes and other structures demolished during the operation, and that France 24 itself earlier quoted the mayor saying the military had demolished shops, factories, homes and roads. Without this a reader believes the destruction was limited to the two attackers' family homes.
How we know
- Anadolu Agency (English) reported“while 15 homes and other structures were demolished, according to the Hebron Governorate.”West Bank's Hebron governor announces Israeli forces' withdrawal from city (opens in a new tab)
- France 24 (English) wrote earlier“Al-Jabari said the military had demolished shops, factories, homes, and roads in Hebron”Israeli forces displace 1,200 Palestinians in Hebron after deadly attack on soldiers (opens in a new tab)
Muhannad al-Tamimi, whose house was occupied by soldiers since the operation began, told AFP his family came back to a trashed apartment with furniture and clothing strewn on the floors, mattresses overturned and a child's bicycle broken. (FRANCE 24 with AFP)
Read the original article on france24.com (opens in a new tab)