Israeli Forces Lock Down Hebron And Demolish Homes Following Deadly Checkpoint Attack
The military operation displaced thousands of Palestinians and prompted United Nations warnings of unlawful collective punishment and possible ethnic cleansing across the occupied territory.
Israeli forces placed Hebron under military lockdown and demolished homes on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, after two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers. Troops shot and killed both attackers at an entrance checkpoint, where three other soldiers sustained injuries.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a major military sweep of the West Bank city. Troops and bulldozers advanced into the Ein Deir Baha and Al-Jaladah neighborhoods. Soldiers marked vacated homes with black symbols and demolished houses, commercial sites, factories, and roads.
The Hebron municipality stated on Monday, Oct. 26, that the assault displaced 3,189 Palestinian residents. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that aid agencies were assisting more than 3,000 evacuated people.
The lockdown sealed access routes for the roughly 200,000 residents of Hebron. The Palestinian Prisoners Club reported that Israeli forces arrested roughly 70 Palestinians. The Israeli military said it detained at least 40 suspects after searching more than 400 locations.
Netanyahu announced that forces would conduct door-to-door searches, seize weapons, and raze militant infrastructure. He warned that neighborhoods where the attackers lived would face destruction. He compared the assault to 2025 operations that flattened refugee camps in the northern West Bank.
The Palestinian Authority condemned the raid as collective punishment intended to terrorize civilians. Hebron Mayor Yousef Zouhair Al-Jabari described the measures as arbitrary and disproportionate. He noted that demolitions struck properties belonging to residents who had no connection to the checkpoint attack.
United Nations Human Rights Chief Volker Türk warned on Monday that the forced displacement raised concerns of ethnic cleansing. Türk stated that Israel used disproportionate force and that collective punishment violates international law. He demanded compensation for victims and the right to return.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres expressed deep alarm over West Bank evictions and rising settler violence. United Nations data showed more than 2,000 settler attacks causing damage or casualties in 2026.
The operation occurred four days before Israel holds parliamentary elections. Local Palestinian officials stated the timing aimed to rally hardline settler support as polls showed Netanyahu struggling to keep a majority.
The Israeli military stated that operations in Hebron would continue for several days across dozens of designated targets. Meanwhile, United Nations agencies and local officials are coordinating emergency food and shelter for displaced families.
