Israeli forces displace nearly 2000 Palestinians in Hebron operation

Israeli forces have displaced nearly 2,000 Palestinians in Hebron after two Israeli soldiers were killed in a shooting attack on Friday, according to the Guardian, France 24, and the Times of Israel. Military operations have seen homes taken over and residents forced to flee days before Israel held elections, the Guardian reported. [1][4][5]

Al Jazeera reported that Israeli forces turned Palestinian properties into military barracks and observation posts. According to Palestinian news agency Wafa, soldiers took over homes in the Khallat Manna and Dahiyat al-Zaytoun areas of southern Hebron and forced residents out of other neighbourhoods. [2]

The military actions followed a Friday attack at a military checkpoint in which Palestinian gunmen shot dead two Israeli soldiers, as FTMQ News reported earlier. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich visited the site shortly after the shooting, according to the Guardian. [1][10][11]

Hebron is located in the southern West Bank, a territory that has been under Israeli military occupation since 7 June 1967. The historic city is home to a Palestinian population of approximately 220,000 to 240,000 people. [6][9]