Hebron Sealed Off as First Home Demolished After Checkpoint Shootout

Israel has sealed off the West Bank city of Hebron and ordered the removal of residents from specific neighborhoods following a shootout that killed two soldiers.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the siege on Hebron and the nearby town of Halhul. He stated that residents of the gunmen's home areas would be forced to leave. Netanyahu also promised widespread demolitions of homes in those districts.

The first demolition occurred within hours of the attack. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich posted a video showing a bulldozer tearing down a Palestinian home near the firefight site. He explained that the structure had been built without permits and that removing it was intended to create deterrence. No connection was established between the building's owners and the attackers.

The Israeli high court issued a temporary order to halt the demolitions shortly after the work began. Human rights lawyer Mohammed Dahleh filed the urgent petition on behalf of two nearby factory owners. He argued that the actions violated international laws regarding collective punishment and Israeli administrative law. Dahleh said, "What we saw today was an attempt to copy the illegal practices used in Gaza, in the heart of the West Bank."

Michael Sfard, a prominent Israeli lawyer, called Smotrich's video a direct admission that the demolitions constituted collective punishment. He noted that deterrence has historically been used to justify such measures.

Defence Minister Israel Katz outlined plans for further displacement and demolition. He compared the situation to the Jenin refugee camp, where nearly 20,000 people have been displaced. Katz said, "Every clan neighbourhood in Hebron from which the terrorists emerged today will be evacuated of its residents."

The Israeli military reported that two men armed with an assault rifle and a handgun carried out the attack. They drove a car with Israeli number plates and opened fire after being stopped at a temporary checkpoint outside the city. A 20-minute gunfight ensued, resulting in the death of both gunmen and injuries to three soldiers.

An AFP photographer witnessed the exchange while traveling to another assignment. She described seeing two Palestinian men firing an automatic rifle and a handgun at Israeli forces. Following the incident, a candidate for the far-right Amcha Yisrael party shared unverified theories linking the photographer to the gunmen. The Foreign Press Association called these claims dangerous and defamatory.

Hebron is the largest Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank, with approximately 250,000 residents. Netanyahu said plans for the largest military operation in the West Bank since 1967 are being drawn up. He stated that no date has been set but that the operation is on the way. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited Hebron on Friday to demand the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority.