Troops Evacuate 2,000 Residents as Hebron Sweep Intensifies

Saturday morning brought the sound of demolition hammers to the northern entrance of Hebron. Israeli troops and Civil Administration workers tore down illegally built structures near Yehuda Junction, the site where two soldiers lost their lives in a shooting attack the previous day. The immediate action was part of a larger military effort to secure the area and remove infrastructure that officials said posed security risks.

The operation followed the Friday ambush that killed St.-Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem. Military officials identified the attackers as Hamouda and Firas al-Ja'aba, both affiliated with Hamas. The gunmen came directly from the Ein Dir-Baha neighborhood, a district in western Hebron that is densely populated. The attack triggered a coordinated counterterrorism campaign led by the Judea Brigade.

Troops from the Duvdevan and Maglan units, the Paratroopers Brigade, Givati reconnaissance reservists, and Border Police units are on the ground. The Shin Bet security agency provides intelligence guidance for the mission. Soldiers have searched approximately 200 locations in the area. They ruled out the presence of weapons and active terrorist threats in those spots and arrested 10 suspects during the sweep.

IDF assessments indicate that about 2,000 residents in the targeted zone belong to the Ja'aba clan. The military views the clan as affiliated with Hamas. To facilitate thorough searches of homes and surrounding areas for weapons caches and explosives labs, the military began evacuating the al-Jalda and Ein Dir-Baha neighborhoods on Friday evening. Civilians who asked to leave were allowed to exit through checkpoints run by the Shin Bet and the IDF. This temporary evacuation lets security forces inspect the area without endangering civilians.

Officials stated that the area is a known center of Hamas activity in Hebron. Removing residents allows troops to look for terrorist infrastructure and ammunition without the risk of accidental harm. The military planned a situational assessment on Saturday to decide if the operation would expand further. Brig.-Gen. Kobi Heller, commander of the West Bank Division, has already widened the scope of arrests and searches to the Nablus, Jenin, and Tulkarm areas, as well as other parts of Samaria.

These expanded efforts occur while security officials monitor potential Hamas attempts to stage attacks ahead of upcoming elections. The military continues to clear the Hebron districts while maintaining a presence in the northern cities to prevent similar ambushes.