HEBRON: Israeli forces have demolished homes, businesses and other structures in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, displacing at least 200 Palestinian families during a military operation launched after a deadly attack on Israeli soldiers, Palestinian officials said.
The demolitions have concentrated on the Ein Deir Baha and Farsh al-Hawa neighbourhoods, where bulldozers have flattened buildings and damaged infrastructure. Movement across Hebron, which has a population of around 200,000, has also been heavily restricted.
Hebron’s governor and deputy mayor said at least 200 families had been displaced by the operation.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz estimated that around 2,000 residents had been affected, adding that the military could eventually displace approximately 2,500 people from an area covering about 0.35 square kilometres.
The operation follows an attack in which Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others, prompting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to announce plans for a military operation in the neighbourhood from which the attackers allegedly emerged.