Israeli defense minister admits having forced 2,000 Palestinians from homes in West Bank city of Hebron

Israel’s defense minister acknowledged Saturday that Israeli forces had forcibly displaced around 2,000 Palestinians from their homes in Hebron in the southern occupied West Bank.

Defense chief Israel Katz told public broadcaster KAN that displaced residents would not be allowed to return until what he called “Hamas infrastructure” in the city was dismantled.

His remarks came as an Israeli military operation in the city of Hebron entered its second day, disrupting education and municipal services.

Hebron’s education directorate suspended school Sunday and Monday, while Hebron University and Al-Quds Open University moved Sunday’s classes online. The municipality said rubbish was accumulating as the closure of the city’s entrances prevented access to disposal sites outside it.

Israeli forces sealed off Hebron and nearby Halhul on Friday after two Palestinians attacked an Israeli checkpoint. Two Israeli soldiers were killed, and three others were also wounded, while Israeli forces killed both attackers, according to Israeli figures.

The army announced late Friday that it had launched an operation expected to last several days, involving Shin Bet and Border Police forces.

The occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, has seen escalating Israeli military attacks and occupier violence since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023.

The attacks have included killing and detaining Palestinians, demolishing homes and other structures, burning mosques and vehicles, bulldozing farmland, preventing farmers from accessing their fields, and displacing Palestinian communities, alongside illegal settlement expansion.