Israel Demolishes Homes of Palestinians Responsible for Killing Soldiers in Hebron

Israeli forces have demolished the homes of two Palestinian gunmen who killed two Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron last week. This action occurred on the eighth day of a military offensive and siege targeting the southern city.

The homes of brothers Ahmad and Hammouda al-Jaabeh were demolished on Friday by troops who had surrounded the buildings and sealed off the area since the morning. The brothers were killed after carrying out an attack on October 23 near the Farsh al-Hawa checkpoint, at the western entrance to Hebron, which resulted in the deaths of two Israeli soldiers and injuries to three others.

According to Al Jazeera’s Mohammed al-Atrash, reporting from Hebron, army engineers spent at least nine hours rigging explosives inside the homes before detonating them. Following the demolitions, when residents attempted to approach the site, large numbers of troops, supported by drones, intervened and detained at least 12 Palestinians. Al-Atrash noted that some of these detainees were still being held and were subjected to abuse by the Israeli occupation army.

Israeli forces have completely cleared the Ein Deir Bahha neighborhood of its residents, with some homes reportedly converted into military barracks and command centers. Hundreds of families in the adjacent al-Jalda area remain confined to their homes. The Hebron municipality stated on Tuesday that the ongoing offensive has displaced 4,969 Palestinians from 780 families.

Al-Atrash also reported that Israeli forces have arrested at least 120 Palestinians and interrogated hundreds more since the operation commenced. Additionally, at least 13 businesses located near the checkpoint have been demolished.

Israeli officials have reportedly threatened to accelerate demolitions in Area C, the portion of the West Bank under full Israeli control, implementing measures approved by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich following the attack. On Friday, dozens of displaced residents, including women, children, and the elderly, protested near the closed al-Jalda roundabout, demanding an end to the siege and the right to return to their homes.

Raed Nairat, an academic and expert on Israeli affairs speaking from Nablus, commented that the operation's objective was clear from the outset: to impose collective punishment aimed at breaking the Palestinians' will and making them pay an unbearable price for an act they may not have been consulted on or agree with. Nairat suggested the operation was motivated by political rather than security concerns, likening it to fragmenting Palestinian society and transforming the entire West Bank into a military zone controlled by the Israeli army.

Hamas condemned the forced displacement and demolitions in Hebron, characterizing them as part of a systematic campaign against the Palestinian presence and calling for urgent international intervention. In other developments across the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces detained four Palestinians in raids south of Tulkarem. Soldiers and settlers also reportedly attacked or drove off olive harvesters in villages near Bethlehem and Nablus. These military and settler attacks have intensified across the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, since the commencement of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023.