Why Israel’s latest assault on Hebron is so significant for the West Bank

Palestinians in Hebron have been subjected to days of Israeli raids and forced displacement in the latest assault on the occupied West Bank city.

Israel has imposed a lockdown on Palestinians and detained at least 47 Palestinians across Hebron since Friday, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society.

About 2,500 people have been forced out of the city as some Palestinian homes have been converted into military posts and barracks.

The operations followed a shooting attack on Friday that killed two soldiers while the two Palestinian suspects were also killed.

Here is what to know about Israel’s latest assault on Hebron:

Mass forced expulsions

Hebron has been subject to severe collective punishment by Israeli forces that has impacted about 900,000 Palestinians.

The military lockdown began immediately after a Friday morning shooting at a military checkpoint in the Farsh al-Hawa area.

After the closure of all entrances to the city, Israeli forces launched a large demolition operation on dozens of Palestinian buildings.

Troops also stormed the Ein Deir Bahha neighbourhood, forcing dozens of families to flee from their homes at night without any belongings. According to Hebron municipality data, the targeted displacement area covers 350 dunams (35 hectares or 86 acres), and nearly 500 Palestinian families have been uprooted.

Hesham al-Sharbati, a human rights researcher, told Al Jazeera that the military’s actions represent “a complete eviction campaign for a Palestinian residential neighbourhood”. He said what is happening is “a form of ethnic cleansing” and the collective punishment of the Palestinian community “amounts to a war crime”.

Moamar Yousef al-Awiwi, a Hebron municipal council member, said the latest Israeli operation in the city comes after a series of measures aimed at displacing the Palestinian population.

“[It] serves as a crime and collective punishment contrary to all international customs and laws,” he told Al Jazeera.

Rights groups have compared the current assault on Hebron to the tactics used during the January 2025 “Iron Wall” operation in the Jenin and Nur Shams refugee camps, which displaced more than 30,000 people and destroyed over half of their residential buildings.

Economic strangulation

Hebron is an important city for the Palestinian economy, which is in the midst of a severe crisis caused by Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and pogroms and raids by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank.

Hebron accounts for about 40 percent of Palestinian industrial output and 30 percent of exports, but economic activity has been badly affected by recent Israeli restrictions and assaults.

Hebron has the highest concentration of military obstacles in the West Bank with about 40 percent of the 89 main checkpoints in the occupied territory concentrated in the city’s most highly restricted zones.

Economic researcher Ahmed Abu Qamar said the current restrictions on Hebron will be felt widely due to the city’s economic significance for the West Bank.

“Hebron… [is a] first-class industrial city and is considered one of the most important pillars and foundations of the Palestinian economy regarding [its] broad industrial and commercial base,” Abu Qamar told Al Jazeera. “Any restrictions imposed on it or any closures of its outlets or restrictions on freedom of movement … or military operation[s] will put pressure on the entire Palestinian economy in the West Bank.”

Restrictions on trade and business activity in Hebron lead to “a rise in production costs due to the difficulty of supply and logistical disruption” with businesses likely to miss delivery deadlines.

“Ultimately, the halting of facilities or reducing production lines … [means] many economic facilities will be forced to either completely stop working or reduce their working hours to the minimum,” he added.

City centre settlers

The daily life of Palestinians in Hebron is also badly affected by the hundreds of Israeli settlers in the Old City.

Under the 1997 Hebron Protocol, Hebron was divided into two sectors: H1, supposedly under Palestinian civil control, and H2, representing 20 percent of the city. The latter was to remain under complete Israeli security control with 7,000 Palestinians living there subject to the strict dictates of the military apparatus.

Israeli authorities have systematically expanded “closed zones” around settlements in the city centre, which are illegal under international law. In early October, Israeli authorities installed three iron gates across a 200-metre (220-yard) stretch of the Old City, further cutting off historical commercial arteries, such as Shuhada Street, where more than 500 shops have been forcibly shuttered over the years.

Over the winter, many Palestinian residents are forced to navigate dangerous, unlit paths through local cemeteries just to bypass military closures and bag searches.

Religious site tensions

At the epicentre of the H2 zone lies the Ibrahimi Mosque, revered by Muslims and Jews, who refer to it as the Tomb of the Patriarchs. This 14th-century site is part of the Old City, which UNESCO has recognised as a World Heritage Site, and has been subject to numerous assaults by Israeli settlers.

In 1994, an American-Israeli settler opened fire with an automatic assault rifle inside the sanctuary, killing 29 Palestinian worshippers and prompting the Israeli military to permanently partition the holy site and severely restrict Palestinian access to surrounding neighbourhoods.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the seizure of planning and construction powers over the mosque and the surrounding H2 zone, stripping the Palestinian municipality of its oversight.

In doing so, Smotrich declared he had abolished vital parts of the 1997 Hebron Agreement, marking a dramatic shift that further entrenches the occupation in the city.