Israeli forces displace hundreds of Hebron families after deadly attack

Palestinians look on at their empty homes after the Israeli army forced them to evacuate the Ein Deir Baha neighborhood in occupied West Bank city of Hebron on October 24, 2026. JOHN WESSELS / AFP Israeli forces pushed into the occupied West Bank city of Hebron on Saturday, October 24, and displaced around 250 families, some in the middle of the night, vowing to exact a heavy price for a deadly attack on soldiers. The Palestinian Authority called for international pressure on Israel to protect residents, who said soldiers announced the evacuations over loudspeakers late at night as they packed what they could and left.

Days before tight elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was planning an operation on a scale not seen since Israel first occupied the West Bank in 1967, after Palestinian militants killed two Israeli soldiers on Friday at a checkpoint. Read more Israel's legislative campaign caught in deadlock In the Hebron neighborhood of Ein Deir Baha, nestled between two hills, vacated buildings were marked with X's and the streets were deserted, save a pair of Israeli military vehicles.

Israeli flags were draped on a house on the slope apparently taken over by troops. The Palestinian Authority said it was mobilizing its diplomats to seek "urgent international action that goes beyond condemnation" to prevent forced displacement. Hebron governor Khaled Dudin told Agence France-Presse the army started in the attackers' neighborhood, "but there is no guarantee that the operation will not expand," calling it a form of "collective punishment."

The governor said 150 families had been affected, while Hebron mayor Youssef al-Jaabari and local activist Issa Amro put the figure at 250. 'Precise, targeted and thorough searches' The Israeli military said it was "conducting precise, targeted and thorough searches" focused on the area of the two gunmen, who were both killed in a firefight. It added that the operation would last several days. But Netanyahu suggested that bigger action was coming.

Asked if he agreed with the idea of dismantling the Palestinian Authority, as has been suggested by his far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Netanyahu referred to Israeli military operations in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Iran. "We transformed the Middle East," he said, repeating a common campaign refrain, in an interview with i24News. "There is a very big surprise for the Palestinian Authority as well." Read more Subscribers only In the occupied West Bank, one Palestinian family's story shows the limits of the Israeli court system There is no evidence that the Palestinian Authority had any involvement in Friday's attack.

Netanyahu has linked the assailants to Hamas, the militant group in Gaza that carried out the October 7, 2023 attack, the deadliest in Israel's history. Hamas, while not claiming credit, hailed Friday's attack on soldiers and called on Palestinians to carry out more. Help us improve Le Monde in English Dear reader, We’d love to hear your thoughts on Le Monde in English! Take this quick survey to help us improve it for you. Take the survey The attack came amid rising tensions in the West Bank as Israeli settlers, who enjoy strong support from Netanyahu's far-right allies, ramp up seizures of Palestinian land and attacks.

Rights group Yesh Din reported 672 incidents of settler violence over the past 26 days, nearly half related to the annual olive harvest. Polls show Netanyahu is neck and neck with an opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot, a center-right former military chief who also opposes a Palestinian state but has promised to crack down on settler violence. Le Monde with AFP