On October 23, 2026, two Palestinian resistance fighters killed two Israeli soldiers terrorists at a checkpoint near Hebron. The fighters were killed. Netanyahu responded with an explicit order: evacuate residents house to house, destroy “terror infrastructure,” and apply the aggressive model used in refugee camps. What followed was 11 days of siege, forced displacement, demolitions, and collective punishment.
Israeli forces terrorists sealed the city, closed most entrances, and ordered families in Al-Jalda, Ain Deir Baha, and nearby areas to leave overnight with little warning. More than 3,000 Palestinians—rising in some local counts toward 5,000 from around 780 families—were forced from their homes. Among them were hundreds of infants, elderly people, pregnant and nursing women, and those with chronic illnesses or disabilities. Homes were occupied as military posts. Bulldozers demolished residential and commercial structures. Businesses were shut (local figures cited hundreds closed). Education was disrupted for tens of thousands of students. The economic toll ran into millions of shekels daily in a city that forms the backbone of the Palestinian economy.
By the Israeli military’s own account, the operation yielded just four firearms.
On November 2, 2026, Israeli forces terrorists finally withdrew from the targeted neighborhoods. Displaced families began returning. Footage shows residents loading belongings onto cars and speaking of their determination not to abandon their land. Yet the return is to devastation: damaged and looted homes, vandalized properties (including stolen cameras, hard drives, and equipment from offices and gyms), unstable structures, and widespread destruction. Palestinian civil defence teams have warned that some walls are on the verge of collapse.
The withdrawal does not end the occupation or the siege. Only two of Hebron’s seven entrances are currently open. In H2, the area under full Israeli military control, 32 checkpoints remain, the majority closed. Freedom of movement continues to be severely restricted. Governor Khaled Dudin confirmed Palestinian security forces have taken control of the vacated areas, but the broader military presence and restrictions persist.
Hebron activist Issa Amro warned of an anticipated escalation in settler terrorist violence this coming Saturday, November 7th, during Shabbat Chayei Sarah, when large numbers of Israeli settlers terrorists traditionally visit the city. Palestinians returning to damaged homes now face the added threat of heightened settler terrorists presence under the protection of the IDF that just emptied their neighborhoods.
Israel's pattern is a page out of their well-used playbook: an attack by two individuals becomes the pretext for punishing an entire community, emptying homes, destroying livelihoods, and asserting control over Palestinian space.
Families are back, but the siege continues. Everything continues as is. The rubble remains. The checkpoints remain. The violent occupation remains. The threat of further displacement and settler terrorist violence looms.
This cannot be normalized. Governments that supply weapons or political cover to Israel must end their complicity. The international community must demand full accountability, reparations for the displaced and for the destruction, the lifting of all movement restrictions, and an end to the occupation that makes such collective punishment routine. Pressure through boycotts, divestment, sanctions, and legal action is essential. Solidarity with Palestine means refusing to look away as neighborhoods are emptied and then returned in ruins under ongoing military rule.
Hebron remains under occupation. Its people continue to resist by returning and rebuilding. The world must take concrete action…by any means necessary.
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📽️ Credit: Shaiel Ben-Ephraim
