Palestinians Return to Damaged Homes in Hebron After Israeli Military Operation

In Hebron, West Bank, Palestinians have started returning to their damaged homes after the end of a 10-day operation by the Israeli military. The United Nations estimates that this operation displaced over 3,000 people in the city.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered this military action following an attack by Palestinian gunmen on October 23, which resulted in the deaths of two Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint in Hebron. The gunmen were killed in the attack.

According to an unnamed official from the Israeli military, the army withdrew from Hebron on Monday. Soldiers conducted thorough searches, detained and interrogated suspects, and confiscated four weapons, several vests, and other military equipment.

A Palestinian man stands behind a damaged wooden door in Hebron after the Israeli army’s withdrawal. – Wisam Hashlamoun/Anadolu via Getty Images

Tamara Obeid, a resident of Hebron, returned home to find her belongings scattered and damaged. She recounted the frightening raid on her home by Israeli forces on October 23. “They blew up the door and entered,” Obeid said. Her children screamed as soldiers followed her to the bedroom with weapons pointed at her. Her husband was handcuffed and taken outside.

The Israeli military stated on Friday that they demolished the homes of the assailants, including one near Obeid’s residence. Local officials confirmed that other infrastructures, such as shops, roads, and factories, faced demolition during the operation, though the extent remains unclear.

On Monday, clean-up efforts began as a bulldozer cleared rubble. Palestinian civil defense workers and security forces were seen in an alleyway where rubble blocked the entrance to a building.

The military operation sparked protests in Hebron, a city where hundreds of Jewish settlers reside among tens of thousands of Palestinians. The homes demolished on Friday belonged to the families of the gunmen, who were forced to leave the area.

Violence in the West Bank has worsened since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. The situation has involved increased aggression by militant settlers against Palestinians and widespread Israeli military raids, matched by Palestinian assaults on Israelis.