According to a report by the British newspaper The Guardian on October 26, two days before the Israeli elections, Hebron suddenly became a stage for Netanyahu to demonstrate a strong stance on security. The Israeli military blockaded this largest city in the West Bank, destroyed neighborhoods near the attack site, and displaced nearly 2,000 Palestinians.
On the 23rd, a military checkpoint in Israel was attacked, resulting in the death of two soldiers. This immediately led Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to visit the scene and give televised speeches. Their ruling coalition was slightly behind in the election, with only two days left.
Netanyahu vowed “immediate and comprehensive retaliation”. He warned that the scale of the military action that would be launched would be unprecedented in nearly 60 years of occupation, as seen in West Bank history.
Within a few hours, this city of 250,000 people was sealed off. The Farsh-Hawa neighborhood, which was closest to the attack site on the 23rd, was completely destroyed. By the morning of the 25th, only industrial ruins remained there; previously, there were auto repair shops, a large ceramic factory, and other businesses.
While the bulldozer was working there, another area several kilometers away was being systematically cleared. It is said that the Ein Deirbahah area was the residence of one of the two men involved in the attack (both were killed on the spot), and local residents paid a heavy price for this.
The imam of the local mosque, Fakhredd Ahmairo, was awakened around midnight by the loudspeakers of a street patrol vehicle. He was informed that the house owners should evacuate immediately to ensure their safety.
Ahramo's family has 30 members. He quickly took his sickly mother and several grandchildren to another house of his daughter in Hebron. As he was returning to pick up some belongings, a neighbor called him.
He told me to stay away, the army had already blown their way into the house. I don't know what they did to the house now. I heard they destroyed all the furniture. Ahmaira said. "People only realize how much they lose when they lose everything."
The Hebron municipal government stated that the Israeli military’s operation in Ayn Dreibah has caused 370 families and nearly 2,000 people to become displaced. Israeli officials commented that the displaced people left voluntarily, and “it is hoped that the civilians who have evacuated will be allowed to leave the area temporarily.”
Ahmedro was angry at the suggestion that he could choose to leave. “Never, never, never. Why should I leave my house?” he asked.
At 1:30 a.m., when the army arrived, Abdul Halim Tamimi tried to stay behind and not leave. The 77-year-old man was told that his family had only 10 minutes to evacuate.
"An intelligence officer told me that if we don't leave, they will drive us out like in Gaza." He said. "We stood at the entrance to the building and refused to leave until three military vehicles arrived before us, forcing us to leave."
The Tamimi family left at 3 a.m. on Saturday. On Sunday morning, their house was adorned with large Israeli flags, and military vehicles were parked around it. The army had turned this large villa into its headquarters.
The Israeli army stated in its statement that 2,000 people from the Jabba family were involved, and it was said that the gunmen originated from this family. They also mentioned that the family has "connections with Hamas".
This statement shocked the people of Ein Deirbahar, and they also mocked it. They estimated that the Jabaa family had at most 150 members, and there was no known history of radicalism among them.
Hebron Mayor Yousuf Jabari said, "This is collective punishment. They drag people out of their homes and prevent the media from entering the area in order to cover up what is happening. Netanyahu and his group are using Palestinian land to expel Palestinians, closing cities and mosques in order to achieve their political goals."
