Smotrich and Netanyahu order Hebron demolition ahead of vote

Israeli troops have flattened 35 hectares, or 86 acres, in the Ein Deir Baha district of Hebron. The Hebron municipality stated that 1,500 people were forced from their homes by Saturday afternoon. The city of 250,000 residents was sealed off with checkpoints at every entry point.

The operation followed an attack on Friday by two gunmen at an Israeli military checkpoint outside the city. After a 20-minute gunfight, two soldiers were killed and three were wounded. Both gunmen were killed. Local authorities described the district as the gunmen' home base.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich visited the attack site and promised a fierce response. Netanyahu said Israel would "act to destroy this place." Smotrich, who is running for a smaller coalition party, was filmed in body armor in front of a building as it was demolished. He ordered the "immediate demolition of a wide row of illegal Arab structures" and called for a "comprehensive military campaign" similar to operations in Gaza and Lebanon.

Videos from residents show extensive damage. One clip features soldiers spraying black crosses on houses. Another shows a bulldozer pulling down a stone wall. A third shows a large residential building draped in Israeli flags. Residents said the building belonged to a prominent family and was taken over as a temporary military headquarters.

Issa Amro, a Hebron civil rights activist, called the operation collective punishment. "We are being collectively punished for something we neither did nor supported," he said. "Our suffering is being turned into political material for Israel's elections, while innocent families pay the price." Amro said his sister's family was among those displaced. In a telephone interview, he noted that hundreds of families left with no connection to the attack.

A municipality spokesperson said about 300 families were evicted. Some found shelter with relatives, while the city opened community halls and children's play areas for others. The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israel plans to displace a further 2,500 people. The Israeli army was approached for comment on the operations and the videos.

Elections are scheduled for four days from now. The municipality expects more residents to be displaced as the operation continues.