Bulldozers Clear Hebron Homes After Checkpoint Attack

Bulldozers flattened homes in Hebron on Friday afternoon, forcing hundreds of Palestinians to leave their neighborhood in the occupied West Bank. The destruction began after an attack on an Israeli checkpoint that left two soldiers dead and three others wounded.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the removal of the residents during a televised address from the site of the shooting. He stated that the military would act to demolish the area and change it completely. Netanyahu described the upcoming operation as being on a scale not seen since the Six-Day War, which occurred nearly 60 years ago.

The Israeli military reported that soldiers were behind concrete barriers when two gunmen opened fire. The exchange lasted approximately 20 minutes and ended when troops killed the attackers. The incident occurred near Hebron, the most populous city in the West Bank, where Israel has imposed widespread closures that restrict movement.

The military operates 925 checkpoints, roadblocks, and barriers across the territory, making travel difficult for residents. The United Nations Human Rights Office for the occupied Palestinian territory has called the current situation a new level of dehumanization for Palestinians.

The demolition campaign is taking place during a surge of violence and land seizures by Israeli settlers. The human rights group B'Tselem urged foreign governments to intervene to prevent what it called another wave of ethnic cleansing and war crimes. Israel maintains that the measures are necessary for security.

Analysts link the intensity of the response to the national elections scheduled for October 27. Polls show Netanyahu and his rival Gadi Eisenkot in a close race, with neither candidate holding enough support to form a government. Danny Citrinowicz, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, said Netanyahu is using the crisis to position himself as the leader of security.

Citrinowicz described the eviction of families without evidence of a link to the gunmen as collective punishment. He argued that authorities should focus on arresting specific attackers and building a stable economy rather than imposing harsh measures on entire communities.