Hebron residents told to leave homes in one hour after shooting

Deputy mayor Khaled al-Qawasmi stated that approximately 250 Palestinian families have been forced to leave their homes in Hebron following a military operation that began around midnight. The Israeli military launched the sweep in coordination with the Shin Bet and the Border Police after two soldiers were killed and three were wounded in a shooting near the Farsh al-Hawa checkpoint on Friday. The army described the action as an operation to thwart terrorism and said the two suspected attackers were killed by Israeli forces.

Residents in the al-Jalada, Ein Deir Bahha, Wadi al-Maghariba and Shi'b al-Milh neighborhoods reported being ordered from their homes at gunpoint on Saturday morning. Abdul Hamid Shahada, a resident of al-Jalada, said soldiers took up positions near the homes of the Joba family, who are related to the two alleged perpetrators. He described the military distributing a map that designated specific homes and adjacent buildings for evacuation. Shahada said his family packed small bags with medicines, phone chargers, and documents but did not sleep all night while watching the incursion from their windows.

Soldiers directed evacuated families along a route toward Al-Salam Street, where some stayed with relatives and others moved into the Child Happiness Centre. The military told some families they would be kept out of their homes for six months to a year, while telling others the evacuation would last until further notice. Shahada noted that soldiers left the doors and windows of neighboring homes wide open and ransacked the properties.

The displacement occurred alongside demolitions of residential buildings, shops, and industrial facilities in Farsh al-Hawa, where local sources reported seven dunums of land were levelled. Israeli forces imposed a broad closure on Hebron and its surrounding villages, blocking main entrances and conducting raids. Local sources reported at least 13 Palestinians were arrested and dozens were detained for field interrogations.

The Hebron Municipality activated an emergency plan to prepare shelters and establish an operations center to monitor residents' needs. Al-Qawasmi warned that if the operation expands, finding shelter could become a crisis due to limited capacity in the Korean Centre, family guesthouses, and other facilities. The military operation and the city-wide closure were still ongoing as of Saturday.