Israeli Troops Level Hebron Neighbourhood, Forcing Families From Their Homes

Israeli troops have flattened a neighbourhood in the West Bank city of Hebron and driven hundreds of families from their homes, according to local Palestinian authorities, who describe the operation as collective punishment for a militant attack on an army checkpoint outside the city.

The Hebron municipality estimated that 35 hectares (86 acres) in the Ein Deir Baha district had been destroyed or marked for destruction. By Saturday afternoon, it said, about 1,500 people had been forced out. The city of 250,000 residents was also sealed off, with checkpoints on every point of entry.

Videos sent by a Hebron resident showed extensive devastation, with every house across several urban blocks reduced to rubble. One clip showed soldiers spraying black crosses on Palestinian houses. Another showed a bulldozer pulling down a stone wall on a hillside. A third showed a large residential building draped in Israeli flags. Residents said the building belonged to a prominent Hebron family and had been taken over as a temporary military headquarters.

The demolitions followed an attack on Friday by two gunmen on an Israeli military checkpoint outside Hebron. After a 20-minute gunfight, two Israeli soldiers were killed and three were wounded. Both gunmen were also killed. Ein Deir Baha was alleged to be their home district.

Israeli elections are due in four days. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the extreme-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, visited the site of the attack and promised an immediate and fierce response. Netanyahu said Israel would "act to destroy this place". Smotrich, who is standing for election with a smaller coalition party, had himself filmed in body armour in front of a Palestinian building as it was demolished. He said he had ordered "the immediate demolition of a wide row of illegal Arab structures adjacent to the attack site", and called for "a comprehensive military campaign" like those in Gaza and Lebanon.

A municipality spokesperson said about 300 families had been evicted. Some have found shelter with friends and relatives, while the municipality said it had opened community halls and children's play areas to house others. The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israel plans to displace a further 2,500 people.

Issa Amro, a Hebron civil rights activist, condemned the operation. "We are being collectively punished for something we neither did nor supported," he said. "Our suffering is being turned into political material for Israel's elections, while innocent families pay the price." He said his sister's family was among those driven from their homes.

In a telephone interview, Amro said hundreds of families had left their homes and had no connection to Friday's attack. "It's a very big area and we don't know what's going on, whether it is only election propaganda or if it's a serious plan from decisions on what to do after the election," he said.

The Israeli army was approached for comment on the operations and on the videos showing the widespread destruction.