Bulldozers level Hebron streets as election nears

Israeli forces have started a major demolition campaign in Hebron.

Local officials stated that the operation is displacing hundreds of families. The army has sealed off the city, restricting movement for its 200,000 residents. Footage circulating online shows at least one street completely leveled by bulldozers.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the move on Friday. This followed an attack on a checkpoint where two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers. Three other soldiers were wounded in the incident, and both gunmen were killed. Netanyahu said that buildings near the attack site and the neighborhoods the gunmen came from would be destroyed. He posted a video from Hebron wearing protective armor and quoted, "We will evacuate the residents, go house to house, remove the weapons we find there, and deal with and destroy all terrorist infrastructure."

Hebron Mayor Youssef al-Jaabari said the operation is targeting the Ein Deir Baha and Farsh al-Hawa neighborhoods. He reported that homes, businesses, and infrastructure are being hit. Dozens of families were forced to sleep outdoors, with some leaving without their vehicles. Houses were marked for demolition with spray paint. The mayor believes the military aims to displace 2,500 people from an area of roughly 0.35 square kilometers.

The city’s governor and deputy mayor confirmed that at least 200 families have been displaced. The Israel Defense Forces said in a social media statement that it has dozens of targets across the West Bank. The army added that operations would continue for several days.

The timing is close to the general election, which is scheduled for four days from now. Netanyahu cancelled his party’s Friday morning campaign events to travel to Hebron. He told i24 television on Saturday that he had reviewed plans for the largest West Bank military operation since 1967. He also threatened a "very big surprise" for the Palestinian Authority. It is unclear if the current Hebron operation is part of that larger plan.

Mayor al-Jaabari told journalists that the operation is "driven by the elections." He said Netanyahu and his ministers are trying to win votes from the far right and settlers. The Palestinian Authority called for urgent international action beyond condemnation. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged a campaign "exactly like in Gaza or Lebanon." National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called for the Palestinian Authority to be dismantled.