The Israeli military forced around 1,200 Palestinians to leave their homes in Hebron in the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian official said on Saturday, a day after a Palestinian attack killed two Israeli soldiers. The operation followed a shooting at a military checkpoint near the city, in which two Palestinian gunmen opened fire and were themselves shot dead, according to the Israeli military.

What Israel says the operation is for

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that the military would launch a large-scale operation after the soldiers were killed. The military said the operation in the Al-Jaladah and Ein Deir Baha neighbourhoods near the checkpoint was to search for militants and weapons, and that it would carry out demolitions. CNN reported that the military also imposed a full siege on Hebron and that Mr Netanyahu later scaled back plans for a full West Bank closure, saying he would consider a cordon around Hebron and Halhul that could extend elsewhere.

Displacement figures differ by source

Hebron municipality head Yousef Zouhair Al-Jabari said around 1,300 more people faced losing their homes in addition to the 1,200 already displaced. Other reports put the total higher, with one summary citing about 2,200 people forced from homes, reflecting different counting at different times. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club said Israeli forces arrested around 70 Palestinians on Friday and Saturday.

Criticism and political context

The Palestinian Authority criticised the operation as collective punishment, a term for penalising a whole population for acts committed by some members. Mr Al-Jabari said the military had demolished shops, factories, homes and roads, and argued the response was disproportionate. He also linked the timing to parliamentary elections on Tuesday. Residents told Reuters that many of those expelled had no connection to the attackers.