Israeli troops level Hebron neighbourhood following deadly West Bank attack

Israeli forces have begun demolishing buildings and clearing a neighbourhood in the West Bank city of Hebron, driving families from their homes, the BBC and the Guardian reported. The military operation follows a Friday morning attack outside the city in which two Palestinian gunmen shot dead two Israeli soldiers, according to BBC News. [1][2][5]

Displacement estimates vary across reports. According to the Guardian, local Palestinian authorities in the Hebron municipality estimated that about 1,500 people had been evicted from the Ein Deir Baha district, with 35 hectares destroyed or marked for destruction by Saturday afternoon. Al Jazeera reported that 2,200 Palestinians were forced to evacuate their homes. Anadolu Ajansı added that Israeli forces arrested 19 Palestinians across the West Bank as a siege on Hebron continued into a second day. [1][4][7]

Speaking from the scene of the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to destroy and transform the neighbourhood where the attackers were said to originate, the Guardian and BBC News reported. BBC News noted that Netanyahu cancelled planned campaign events for his Likud party. BBC News also reported that it is common practice for Israeli forces to demolish the homes of Palestinians suspected of carrying out attacks. [1][2]

Hebron is a historic city located in the southern West Bank, an area that has been under Israeli military occupation since June 1967. [9][10]