Israel army withdraws after Hebron operation

Israeli troops withdrew on Monday from an area of the occupied West Bank's largest city that they had evacuated of its Palestinian residents, following an attack that killed two soldiers in October. The operation had emptied a neighbourhood in Hebron city where the two gunmen had lived, with soldiers later destroying their homes -- a practice commonly carried out by the military as punishment for attacks. AFP journalists witnessed residents returning to their houses on Monday after the military left, with many in disarray after having been searched by troops.

"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," an Israeli military 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 before being shot dead in a firefight.

The attack sparked the immediate demolition of buildings in the vicinity of the checkpoint, as well as vows 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. 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. - 'Terrified my children' - On Monday morning, an AFP journalist saw that many buildings had been spraypainted with black X's to indicate they had been cleared and searched. Mohammad Juaaba, a relative of one of the assailants, said the top floor of the family's home had been destroyed, adding they planned to move back into the lower floors.

Rubble from the demolition blast was strewn around the house, and other relatives could be seen cleaning up the spaces that were still habitable. Muhannad al-Tamimi, whose house had been occupied by soldiers since the operation began, returned to a trashed apartment with furniture and clothing littering the floors, mattresses overturned and a child's bicycle broken. "On the morning of the operation, I was sleeping in my home. The army stormed my house and blew up the door," he told AFP.

"They assaulted me, put a gun to my wife's head, terrified my children, and kicked my little daughter," he added, also accusing the soldiers of stealing gold and money. Asked for comment, the military said it was looking into the allegations. Reem al-Sharif, a Hebron city council member, said the operation had actually covered two neighbourhoods, telling AFP that municipal workers were helping to clean up around the area. lba/smw/acc/ser