The Israeli army announced on Monday, November 2, that it had completed its operations in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, and that its soldiers had withdrawn from the city. The operation began after an attack two weeks earlier that killed two Israeli soldiers and was attributed by Israel to Hamas.
According to Hebron’s municipality, around 3,000 Palestinians, including nearly 500 families, were displaced to the city during the operation. The Israeli military said its forces demolished what it described as illegal infrastructure and carried out additional engineering work intended to improve security conditions and reinforce defensive measures.
The army also destroyed the homes of the two alleged attackers, who were from Hebron. It said soldiers seized 25 vehicles it described as illegal and conducted a targeted operation in an area linked to a Hamas-affiliated clan.
The military reported searches and interrogations at several locations, saying troops detained and questioned suspects and confiscated four weapons, several bulletproof vests and additional military equipment. It also said an underground space near the residence of one of the attackers had been sealed.
The army stated that counterterrorism operations would continue across the West Bank, which it refers to as Judea and Samaria. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk had both condemned the operation and warned of a risk of ethnic cleansing. Guterres said the escalation of repression had to stop.
Sources: Le Monde International.