In the aftermath of Friday’s shooting incident in Hebron in which two IDF soldiers were killed, Israeli forces launched a military operation in Hebron and other areas of the West Bank, evicting dozens of families from their homes and putting thousands of others under siege. The army said it was conducting searches to locate and dismantle what it described as “terrorist infrastructure” and weapons, while interrogating dozens of suspects, reported Middle East Eye. But residents described being ordered from their homes at gunpoint, with little time to gather belongings and no clear information about when they would be allowed to return. According to news reports, Israeli forces have arrested at least 70 Palestinians across the West Bank and displaced at least 2,200 since Friday.
Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh called for “clear international condemnation and serious action by the international community to halt these violations and hold those responsible accountable” for what he said was the Israeli government’s policy of collective punishment against the Palestinian people, reported Wafa News. In a post on X, Al-Sheikh stressed the need to ensure that those responsible for these violations do not escape punishment under international law. He emphasized that an entire people must not be held hostage to policies of collective punishment, nor should civilians’ suffering go unanswered or unaccounted for.
Hamas similarly said that Israeli attacks in the occupied West Bank “represent an extension of the criminal aggression perpetrated by the occupation against our people,” referring to Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, reported Al Jazeera. The group said in a statement that Israel’s “criminal policies, brutality, and oppression constitute a dangerous escalation that necessitates a unified national stance and serious international action to halt this aggression.”
In an interview with Israel’s i24 News on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised that a “big surprise” was in store for the Palestinian Authority. “In this election, we have to stop a Palestinian state from being established,” he reportedly said, though he avoided answering directly whether he intended to dismantle the PA, and indicated that he preferred a “surprise and ambush” approach.
