House searches and forced evictions in Hebron

State of emergency in the West Bank House searches and forced evictions in Hebron As of: October 24, 2026 • 6:06 p.m

After the deadly attack on Israeli soldiers, the army continues to take action against Palestinians in Hebron. Hundreds of people had to hastily leave their homes.

"Pack your things, prepare to leave your apartments." The Israeli military's announcement echoes through the streets of Hebron. Residents film dozens of army vehicles driving through parts of the occupied West Bank city. All access roads are closed. There is a state of emergency.

Following Friday's deadly gun attack, Israeli forces have launched a multi-day military operation, eyewitnesses said, going door-to-door.

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Hijar Sishawar Tamimi tells ARD that he was also asked to leave his house, describing the situation in his neighborhood. "Fifty soldiers came to our house. They said we had to leave," he says. "I had to leave immediately with my children and five other families who now have no place to stay."

The area is completely cordoned off until further notice. The army said the operation was focused on the area from which the two suspected attackers came. Two Israeli soldiers were killed and three others were injured in Friday's attack. The two suspected Palestinian attackers were shot.

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Residents could leave the operational area via three exits, after checks and interviews. Resident Majdi Nasa doesn't want to go. The older man also told a news agency that 50 soldiers had asked him to evacuate. All the neighbors are gone. He has tears in his eyes.

"I'm not leaving my house. We're asking the United Nations for help," he says. "The Palestinian Authority cannot do anything. Please stand with us. We have nothing to do with the attack on the checkpoint. There are children here. We are cut off from the outside. This is pure arbitrariness."

Palestinian media reported that families only had a few minutes to pack up their belongings. Video footage from local media shows families walking through the streets with plastic bags.

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The Palestinian municipality has activated a comprehensive emergency plan. It is preparing emergency shelters and has set up a 24-hour operations center. The governor of Hebron, Khaled Dudin, accused the Israeli government: They are ready to wipe out the Palestinian people so that they can get the election result they want.

"We know that this is a critical time before the elections in Israel," he says. "That's what they always do, punishing innocent people who have nothing to do with the attack. It's a collective punishment."

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Dudin is the Palestinian Authority's highest representative in the region. The Palestinian Authority also warned in writing of the consequences of an escalation in the West Bank. Within two years, 40,000 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank had become refugees as a result of forced evictions, the authority said.

The Palestinian city administration assumes that 2,500 residents are affected by the current forced evictions. Around 200,000 Palestinians and several hundred Jewish settlers live in Hebron.

Just last week, Israel's minister for national security, the right-wing politician Itamar Ben Gvir, called for the Palestinian Authority to be dissolved. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu also ordered preparations for a complete closure of the West Bank. How long the large-scale military operation will last is unclear.

There are parliamentary elections in Israel next Tuesday. Restrictions on freedom of movement in the West Bank have already been announced by the Israeli government.

This topic in the program: tagesschau.de | House searches and forced evictions - Hebron in a state of emergency | Oct 24, 2026 | 4:30 p.m