Israeli forces withdraw from Hebron after 10-day siege, leaving widespread destruction

Israeli forces have withdrawn from neighbourhoods in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron after a 10-day siege, allowing thousands of displaced Palestinians to return home. Residents arriving back in Ein Deir Bahha, al-Jalda and other affected areas found extensive damage to homes and streets after the operation ended. Local officials said the withdrawal began on Monday morning, ending a period in which families had been barred from returning.

Hebron Governor Khaled Dodin said families could finally access their properties after the soldiers left. About 3,300 Palestinians have now returned to their homes, according to the latest figures in the incident. Residents described widespread demolitions, vandalism and smashed belongings, while some homes had doors blown off their hinges and contents destroyed.

The siege followed the shooting deaths of two Israeli soldiers in Hebron on 23 October, and two Palestinian suspects were also killed during the operation. The impact on civilians has been severe, with families scattered across different parts of the city and some forced to leave with only a few belongings. One resident said his family was dispersed across four neighbourhoods after being expelled from their home in Khallet al-Maghariba.

Another said soldiers gave him 10 minutes to take his children and leave, and that the family remained away for 18 days. A support and relief committee has formed a field team to assess damage to public and private property, while municipal officials say some targeted areas are also suffering power outages. The withdrawal matters because Hebron is one of the largest Palestinian cities in the occupied West Bank and a major centre of economic and social life.

Earlier local estimates said the siege had already caused heavy losses, including damage to infrastructure, closures of businesses and disruption to schools. The city's importance means restrictions there can affect far more than the immediate neighbourhoods under military control, especially when movement is blocked for days at a time. The operation also fits into a wider pattern of repeated raids, arrests and closures in the West Bank.

Hebron has long been a flashpoint, and the latest siege has renewed concern about the scale of military activity in the territory. Local officials and residents have described the measures as collective punishment, while the damage left behind has added to pressure on already strained households and municipal services. What remains unclear is how long it will take residents to repair homes and restore normal life in the affected neighbourhoods.

It is also not clear whether further operations will follow elsewhere in Hebron or in other parts of the West Bank. For now, the immediate focus is on assessing the destruction, restoring utilities and determining whether the withdrawal marks a pause or the end of a broader security campaign.

Israeli forces withdrew on Monday from a neighbourhood in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, allowing displaced Palestinian residents to begin returning home after a military operation that lasted about 10 days. The withdrawal followed an operation launched after two Israeli soldiers were killed in a checkpoint attack near Hebron in late October. Residents were seen going back to homes that had been damaged or ransacked during the raid.

A military official said the soldiers left after completing what was described as all operational activities in the area. The official said counterterrorism activity in the wider West Bank continued, using the term Judea and Samaria for the territory. According to the municipality, more than 3,000 Palestinians were displaced when the neighbourhood was emptied after the attack.

The operation also involved searches of multiple locations, detentions and questioning of suspects, and the confiscation of weapons and military equipment. The withdrawal marks a shift in the immediate situation in Hebron, but it does not appear to signal a broader easing of tensions across the West Bank. The city is one of the largest Palestinian urban centres in the territory and has been at the centre of repeated security operations, closures and arrests.

Local officials had already said the raid caused major disruption to daily life, including damage to homes and the displacement of families. The operation began after two Palestinian gunmen attacked an army checkpoint near Hebron on 23 October, killing two soldiers. Senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had promised a strong response after the attack.

In the days that followed, the military cleared residents from the assailants' neighbourhood, demolished the attackers' homes and sealed an underground space next to one of them, according to the military official. The impact on civilians has been significant. One resident said his family returned to a trashed apartment with furniture and clothing strewn across the floor, mattresses overturned and a child's bicycle broken.

The municipality had said the operation affected thousands of people, and the return of residents now raises questions about the condition of homes and how quickly normal life can resume. The episode also adds to wider concern over the scale of military activity in the occupied West Bank. What remains unclear is whether the withdrawal is limited to this neighbourhood or whether further operations could follow elsewhere in Hebron or beyond.

It is also not clear how many people will be able to return immediately, or what further damage may be found inside the homes left behind. For now, the key issue is whether the end of the raid will ease pressure in Hebron or simply mark a pause in a broader security campaign.

Israeli forces are maintaining a siege on Hebron in the occupied West Bank for a 10th consecutive day, after an attack on 23 October in which two Israeli soldiers were killed. The lockdown has disrupted movement across the city and surrounding areas, with local officials saying families have been forced from their homes and businesses have been shut. Palestinian residents and municipal leaders say the operation could be expanded further, raising concern about a wider offensive.

Hebron mayor Yousef al-Jabari said daily economic losses were estimated at more than 12 million shekels, or about $3.8 million. He said the damage included more than $1.9 million in infrastructure losses and about $160,000 in losses in the health and environmental sectors. According to the municipality, Israeli forces have demolished 15 homes and other structures and forced 327 businesses to close.

The mayor also said about 80,000 students have been unable to attend school for 10 days. Local officials say more than 3,300 Palestinians have been displaced or otherwise affected by the siege. The mayor described the measures as collective punishment, while families in and around Hebron said they fear the army may soon extend its operations.

Israeli arrests of Palestinians in Hebron and other West Bank cities have continued during the same period, adding to the sense of disruption. The situation has also affected nearby areas, including Masafer Yatta south of Hebron, where 10 Palestinian teachers were arrested and their vehicle seized, according to Palestinian reports. The siege matters because Hebron is one of the largest and most economically important Palestinian cities in the West Bank.

The mayor said the city accounts for about 40 percent of the Palestinian economy, meaning prolonged restrictions can have effects well beyond the immediate security operation. The closures, demolitions and school disruptions also deepen pressure on civilian life at a time when tensions across the occupied West Bank remain high. The incident comes against a backdrop of repeated raids, arrests and settler violence reported in the territory.

The wider context includes a sharp rise in violence and property damage across the West Bank. The United Nations humanitarian office said settlers carried out 397 attacks on Palestinians across the territory in October, the highest monthly figure recorded since monitoring began in 2006. Between 20 and 26 October, attacks targeted 49 Palestinian communities, mostly while people were harvesting olives, and 57 Palestinians were injured in incidents involving settlers and Israeli forces.

Those figures underline how the Hebron siege fits into a broader pattern of escalating insecurity and economic strain. What remains unclear is how long the lockdown will continue and whether Israeli forces will broaden the operation beyond Hebron. It is also not clear whether the reported arrests, demolitions and closures will increase in the coming days.

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