Israel seals off Hebron and displaces thousands of Palestinians after checkpoint attack

Summary

Israeli forces have sealed off all entrances to Hebron, the biggest city in the occupied West Bank, after a Friday attack at a checkpoint near Farsh al-Hawa, west of the city, in which two Israeli soldiers were killed and three wounded. Mayor Yousef Jaabari told Middle East Eye that around 2,200 people were forcibly evicted from neighbourhoods including Deir Bahala and al-Jalda, and residents said soldiers gave families five minutes to leave; Middle East Eye puts the affected area at about 330 dunams with more than 490 housing units. The Guardian reports that nearly 2,000 Palestinians have been displaced and links the operation to Benjamin Netanyahu's effort to show his security credentials before Tuesday's election. Le Monde reports that more than 2,000 people were displaced and describes a bitter sense of collective punishment among residents. Al Jazeera reports that thousands have fled their homes, and Deutsche Welle reports that the UN has sounded the alarm and that Israel has ordered the military to demolish homes in the area.

Timeline

1. Middle East Eye

   26 Oct 2026, 04:12 UTCSource ↗

   Reports, citing Mayor Yousef Jaabari, that Israeli forces sealed all entrances to Hebron and forcibly displaced around 2,200 people, and that the mayor called the city a disaster zone and accused Israel of collective punishment.

2. The Guardian

   26 Oct 2026, 07:00 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that nearly 2,000 Palestinians in Hebron have been displaced as Israeli forces take over homes after a checkpoint attack killed two Israeli soldiers, and frames the move as a test of Netanyahu's security credentials days before Tuesday's election.

3. Al Jazeera

   26 Oct 2026, 09:45 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that Israel's assault on the besieged West Bank city has forced thousands of people to flee their homes.

4. Deutsche Welle

   26 Oct 2026, 20:56 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that the UN has sounded the alarm over Israel's military operation in Hebron after hundreds of families were displaced over the weekend, and that Israel has ordered the military to demolish homes after soldiers were killed.

5. Le Monde

   27 Oct 2026, 01:16 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that after an attack that killed two Israeli soldiers on October 23, the Israeli army sealed off several neighbourhoods of Hebron and forcibly displaced more than 2,000 Palestinians, leaving residents with a bitter sense of collective punishment.