Israeli forces leave Hebron after siege that displaced around 3,300 Palestinians

Army pulls out of Hebron

The Israeli army said on Monday, 2 November, that it had finished its operations in Hebron and pulled its soldiers out of the city in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian authorities reported the withdrawal from several neighbourhoods the same day. Le Monde carried the army's own statement announcing the end, but an earlier newsORF report said the army had not yet confirmed the pullout. Berliner Zeitung counted eleven days of operations, while Al Jazeera described a 10-day siege.

Hebron governor Khaled Dudin announced on Monday that families forced from their homes could return, and he said Palestinian security forces now control the area:

“Palestinian security forces have taken full control of the area following the Israeli withdrawal.”

Dudin added that many houses had been largely destroyed and promised quick steps toward reconstruction. Palestinian civil defence warned returnees not to touch suspicious objects or enter damaged buildings before a security check, according to Berliner Zeitung.

The attack and the sweep that followed

An armed attack on a checkpoint at the edge of Hebron on 23 October killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three more, according to Israeli military figures. Both attackers, who came from Hebron, were shot dead. The army then sealed off the city, searched hundreds of buildings, arrested several suspects and seized weapons. ANSA reported that the main focus was the Hamula neighbourhood, which it described as home to Hamas affiliates, where dozens of suspects were questioned and the homes of the two attackers were demolished. Al Jazeera reported that Israeli forces closed the city and surrounding villages, took over some Palestinian homes and turned them into military posts.

Displacement and losses in the city

The Hebron governorate counted around 3,300 people displaced or otherwise affected, mostly in the Al-Jalda and Ein Deir Baha neighbourhoods, and 15 homes and other structures demolished. OCHA put the number displaced at more than 3,000 and said most of them had stayed with relatives. The UN agency also said some homes had been used as military posts.

Mayor Yousef al-Jabari told Al Jazeera on Saturday, 31 October, that daily economic losses were over 12 million shekels, roughly $3.8m, and that infrastructure damage stood above $1.9m. He put losses in the health and environment sectors at about $160,000. The mayor said 327 businesses had been forced to close and that around 80,000 students had missed school for ten days. He added that Hebron makes up about 40 percent of the Palestinian economy and described the siege as collective punishment.

Legal challenge and a split in Israel's leadership

Adalah, a human rights organisation, petitioned Israel's Supreme Court on behalf of the Hebron municipality and several residents. It accuses the army of displacing families without grounds and destroying civilian buildings, which it says violates international humanitarian law.

Within Israel's leadership, army chief of staff Eyal Zamir told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the week of 26 October that there were no operational reasons to continue and no legal basis to stop Palestinians from returning home, according to ANSA. A Times of Israel report, cited by Berliner Zeitung, said Zamir had recommended ending the operation two days after it began and that Netanyahu initially rejected the advice.

Wider West Bank pressure

The mayor said Palestinian families fear the army could soon extend its attacks. Al Jazeera reported on 1 November that Israel was threatening a wider offensive. Elsewhere in the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces detained ten Palestinian teachers in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, and seized their vehicle, Wafa reported. OCHA recorded 397 settler attacks against Palestinians in October, the highest monthly figure since its monitoring began in 2006, according to Wafa. Dudin has promised quick reconstruction, but none of the sources give a timetable for it.