2,000 Hebron residents ordered out as troops sweep 200 sites

Israeli troops and Civil Administration personnel tore down buildings and infrastructure at Hebron's northern entrance on Saturday, a day after an ambush at Yehuda Junction killed St.-Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem. The military said the structures, located near the shooting scene, were taken down to enforce law and order and remove potential security threats.

The operation is run by the Judea Brigade and includes soldiers from Duvdevan, Maglan, the Paratroopers Brigade, Givati reconnaissance reservists and Border Police, with intelligence support from the Shin Bet. Troops searched about 200 locations, found no weapons or terrorist activity, and arrested 10 suspects.

Military officials in Central Command named the attackers as Hamouda and Firas al-Ja'aba, both affiliated with Hamas, and said the two came from the Ein Dir-Baha neighborhood. IDF assessments put the number of residents in the area at roughly 2,000, all belonging to the Ja'aba clan, which the military said is affiliated with Hamas and from which the gunmen came.

Starting Friday evening, the military began moving people out of the al-Jalda and Ein Dir-Baha districts, densely populated areas of western Hebron within the city's Palestinian urban area. Civilians who asked to leave were allowed to exit temporarily through checkpoints staffed by the Shin Bet and IDF. Officials said the evacuation lets troops and Shin Bet personnel search homes, structures and surrounding areas for weapons, ammunition, explosives laboratories and caches without endangering civilians. The area is known to the security establishment as a center of Hamas activity in Hebron.

A situational assessment was set for Saturday to decide whether to widen the operation. Brig.-Gen. Kobi Heller, commander of the West Bank Division, meanwhile expanded arrest operations and searches in Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarm and other locations across Samaria. The expansion follows concerns about Hamas leadership abroad attempting to organize attacks ahead of the elections.

Israeli forces have carried out demolitions across the West Bank in recent months. The operation near Hebron continues as troops search sites connected to Friday's attack.