West Bank Offensive Displaces Hebron Residents

Israeli forces raided at least 15 towns and cities across the occupied West Bank and detained dozens of Palestinians, following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s order for a full lockdown. The order came after a shooting near the Israeli settlement of Telem in Hebron that killed two Israeli soldiers. Israel’s ambulance service said at least three other soldiers were injured. The Israeli military said it had killed two Palestinian gunmen involved in the attack. Raids were reported in northern West Bank locations including Nablus, Jenin, Tubas and Qalqilya. In Nablus, forces arrested people and entered homes in Jalud and Qaryut; arrests were also reported in Arrabeh and Burqin near Jenin. Forces entered Tubas and nearby Aqqaba, as well as Jericho and the Aqabat Jabr refugee camp. In Hebron, bulldozers demolished a three-storey building after families were given five minutes to retrieve belongings. Israeli forces also ordered hundreds of Palestinian families to leave their homes in the Ein Deir Bahha area and surrounded the home of a suspect in the shooting. The army said its Hebron operation would continue for several days, alongside operations in dozens of other areas. The closure is expected to shut nearly 1,000 checkpoints and gates across the West Bank, restricting movement for millions of Palestinians and affecting healthcare, education and economic activity. Palestinian National Initiative leader Mustafa Barghouti described the closure as turning communities into “a small prison” and warned that collective punishment could lead to further unrest. The article places the escalation amid heightened tensions, including attacks on olive harvesters and violence by Israeli settlers and soldiers. Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for Israel to take full control of the West Bank. The article notes that Israeli settlements, including Telem, are illegal under international law.

Around 1,200 Palestinians were forced to leave their homes in Hebron in the occupied West Bank, according to a Palestinian official, after Israeli forces began an operation following the killing of two Israeli soldiers. The soldiers were killed on Friday when two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a military checkpoint near the city; the Israeli military said both gunmen were shot dead. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military would launch a large-scale operation. The army said it was searching for militants and weapons in the Al-Jaladah and Ein Deir Baha neighbourhoods and would carry out demolitions. The Palestinian Authority condemned the operation as collective punishment and called for international pressure on Israel. Hebron municipal head Yousef Zouhair Al-Jabari said a further 1,300 people could lose their homes. He also alleged that the operation was politically motivated ahead of parliamentary elections, arguing that Netanyahu and ministers were seeking support from settlers. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club said Israeli forces had arrested around 70 Palestinians over Friday and Saturday; Israeli officials had not commented on the reported arrests. Al-Jabari said the military had demolished shops, factories, homes and roads, describing the response as disproportionate and unjustified. Residents told Reuters that many people expelled had no connection to the attackers. One displaced resident, Majdi Nasser, said families with children were isolated and that the expulsions were arbitrary. Residents also reported that soldiers marked evacuated homes with a black X, though the purpose of the markings was unclear. The article places the operation amid wider restrictions and settlement expansion in the West Bank. It says Israel has blocked entrances to most Palestinian cities and towns, limiting movement, and notes that settlements are considered illegal by UN bodies and most countries, a position Israel disputes. A resident of Yatta, Yousef Mur, said closures prevented him from taking his daughter to Jerusalem for cancer treatment and described soldiers firing stun grenades as people tried to cross.

France 24 reports that Israel imposed widespread closures across the occupied West Bank and displaced residents after Palestinian gunmen attacked Israeli forces, killing two Israeli soldiers. The article says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to the attack site near Hebron and instructed security forces to immediately cordon off the city. Reporter Morgan Ayre provides the report in a video published on 24 October 2026. The available article text is brief and does not provide further details about the attack, the scale of the closures or displacement, or how long the security measures are expected to remain in place. It also does not describe the identities or circumstances of those displaced, or report responses from Palestinian residents or officials. Accordingly, the report’s central focus is the immediate Israeli security response and Netanyahu’s instruction to isolate Hebron following the killing of two soldiers. The account presents these events in a factual, news-reporting style, without extended analysis or explicit commentary. Its subject matter is serious and conveys a negative emotional context because it concerns fatalities, military action, movement restrictions, and displacement.

Around 1,200 Palestinians were forced to leave their homes in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, after Israel launched a military operation following an attack that killed two Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had announced a large-scale operation after two Palestinian gunmen opened fire; the Israeli military said both gunmen were killed. The military said its operation in the Al-Jaladah and Ein Deir Baha neighbourhoods was intended to find militants and weapons, and that demolitions would also take place. The Palestinian Authority condemned the operation as “collective punishment.” Hebron municipal head Yousef Zouhair Al-Jabari said about 1,300 more people were at risk of losing their homes, and accused Netanyahu and right-wing ministers of using the operation to attract settler votes ahead of parliamentary elections. He said shops, factories, homes and roads had been damaged. Residents told Reuters that people with no connection to the attackers were among those expelled; one resident described the removals as arbitrary. Residents also reported that soldiers marked vacated homes with a black X, though its meaning was unclear. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club said Israeli forces had arrested around 70 Palestinians over Oct 23 and 24; Israeli officials had not commented on the reported arrests. The article notes that Netanyahu’s government has overseen settlement expansion, which UN bodies and most countries consider illegal, while Israel disputes that position. Israeli closures across the West Bank have restricted movement in many Palestinian towns and cities. Yatta resident Yousef Mur said the closures prevented him from taking his daughter to Jerusalem for cancer treatment, and that stun grenades frightened her as they tried to cross. The article reports the displacement, damage, arrests and movement restrictions amid a sharply escalating security operation, while presenting statements from Israeli authorities, Palestinian officials and residents.

Israel launched a military operation lasting several days in the occupied West Bank city of Al Khalil, also known as Hebron, after a shooting at a nearby military checkpoint injured five people and was followed by the deaths of two Israeli soldiers. The military said it killed two armed suspects, who Palestinian media identified as Mohammad Jaaba and Firas Jaaba, both 27 and from Al Khalil. Israel said the men had planned a large-scale attack. Two of the injured were reported to be in critical condition. According to the Wafa news agency, Israeli forces sealed the city’s entrances, raided homes, arrested at least 13 people, demolished buildings and displaced dozens of families. The military said residents could leave through one of three designated exits after interrogation and inspection. Wafa also reported that a residential building in Farsh Al Hawa was demolished and residents were barred from entering or leaving the area. Palestinian activist Issa Amro said at least 250 families had been displaced, including his sister’s family, and described residents as collectively punished. The Palestinian Authority said Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa had discussed residents’ needs with Hebron Mayor Yousef Al Jaabari, citing forced evacuations affecting hundreds of Palestinians, including women, children, older people and patients. Israeli rights organisation B’Tselem condemned the campaign, describing it as part of ethnic-cleansing efforts and urging governments and international institutions to act against forcible displacement, collective punishment and unlawful destruction. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation would enter neighbourhoods, remove residents and dismantle what he called terror infrastructure. Defence Minister Israel Katz compared it to the operation in Jenin refugee camp. The article notes that Israel was due to hold parliamentary elections three days later, with Netanyahu campaigning on national security.