Israel forces thousands from Hebron homes after soldiers killed

Hebron — Israel has sealed off Hebron and forced thousands of Palestinians from their homes, after a shooting on Friday killed two Israeli soldiers at an army reserve base in the occupied West Bank city. The displaced cannot return, Israel's defence minister said, until the military has Al Jazeera described as "dealing with all the Hamas issues in Hebron" — a timeline with no stated end.

The figures vary by source. Hebron's mayor, Yousef al-Ja'bari, told Al Jazeera that 2,200 people had been forced from their homes; Israel's defence minister, Israel Katz, confirmed "about 2,000" had been displaced. A Palestinian official put the number at around 1,200 with a further 1,300 potentially to follow, according to France 24, while Euronews reported around 250 families removed. Residents said evacuation orders came over loudspeakers late at night, leaving no time to prepare.

Friday's attack, by two Palestinian gunmen, killed the two soldiers; two Palestinians were also killed, Al Jazeera reported. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then ordered a "full lockdown" of the West Bank. Raids followed in at least 15 areas, from Jenin and Nablus in the north to Bethlehem in the south, and about 70 Palestinians were arrested, according to the Palestinian Prisoners' Society.

"Those closures severely restrict Palestinians' freedom of movement, access to basic services and livelihoods," said UN Secretary-General António Guterres, expressing deep concern at the closures and reported demolitions in Hebron.

The Palestinian Authority called the operation "collective punishment" and urged international intervention, the Wafa news agency reported. Hamas said the escalation "will only fuel further outrage". The context is political: Israelis vote on October 27, and Al Jazeera's correspondent said Netanyahu's coalition, trailing in polls, is presenting itself as combating Palestinians. Hebron's governorate, home to about 800,000 people, is the West Bank's most populous, and one activist told Al Jazeera its residents are now "under siege". The October 27 election will show whether the hard line pays.