Israel rips out homes of Hebron gunmen in West Bank operation

Israeli forces demolished the homes of two gunmen on Friday, the latest move in a military operation that has already uprooted more than 3,000 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank. The assailants killed two Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint in Hebron last week. Both gunmen were killed in the Oct. 23 attack, which prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to order the military to launch operations in the surrounding areas.

The demolitions targeted the houses previously occupied by the wives and children of the two men. Local residents said the military forced these families to leave the area over the past week. The Israeli military stated it would "continue to operate proactively and offensively" to prevent future attacks and "protect residents in the area." Local officials reported that the military has also destroyed other homes, shops, roads, and factories in Hebron since the initial strike, though the exact scale of the destruction remains unclear.

The operation has triggered protests from Palestinian residents. Palestinian officials accuse Netanyahu of using the military campaign to build political support ahead of a general election scheduled for Tuesday. The Israeli government maintains the operation is a direct response to the killing of its soldiers. The military has closed most entrances to Hebron, severely limiting movement for Palestinians, including those requiring medical care.

Volker Türk, the UN human rights chief, raised "grave concerns of unnecessary and disproportionate use of force" this week. He stated that threats to empty and erase entire neighborhoods also raised "serious concerns of ethnic cleansing." These comments come as Netanyahu’s government oversees a rapid expansion of settlements, which UN bodies and most countries deem illegal, though Israel disputes that status.

Violence also flared in Kafr Malik near Ramallah on Friday. Reuters witnesses documented militant Israeli settlers shoving Palestinians and blocking farmers from harvesting olives. The Israeli military was present at the scene. The military said it responded to reports of Palestinians throwing stones and arrested two individuals. It did not address the reports of settlers attacking Palestinians, and the witness did not observe the stone-throwing.

Attacks on Palestinians have surged during the olive harvest season, which runs from late September through November. The Israeli rights group Yesh Din recorded at least 135 physical attacks on the harvest as of Oct. 23. A surge in militant settler violence against Palestinians has occurred under Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition.