Hebron (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - The Israeli army announced on Monday its withdrawal from Hebron in the south of the occupied West Bank after a military operation it launched about ten days ago following an attack carried out by two Palestinians that led to the death of two Israeli soldiers.

Published on: 02/11/2026 - 12:23 Last updated: 02/11/2026 - 14:06

The military operation led to the evacuation of the Deir Bahha neighborhood, which was inhabited by the two perpetrators, and a second neighborhood, which led to the displacement of more than three thousand people.

On Monday, an Agence France-Presse correspondent monitored the return of residents to their homes after the withdrawal of Israeli forces. Many homes appeared in chaos after the soldiers searched them.

A military official said, “This morning, after completing all field activities, the soldiers withdrew from the military campaign area in Hebron, and activities aimed at combating terrorism will continue in various parts” of the West Bank, using the biblical name “Judea and Samaria” to refer to the Palestinian territories.

On October 23, days before the hotly contested Israeli elections, two Palestinian gunmen carried out an attack at an Israeli military checkpoint near Hebron, which led to the death of two Israeli soldiers. The two perpetrators were killed in an exchange of fire.

The attack was immediately followed by the demolition of buildings in the vicinity of the checkpoint. Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the time, vowed to carry out a massive military operation in retaliation.

The day after the attack, the Israeli army evacuated the neighborhood where the two perpetrators were staying, and at least 3,189 people were displaced, including 200 infants, according to what the city municipality said at the time.

According to the military official, "The soldiers carried out careful searches in several locations, arrested suspects and subjected them to investigation. They also found and confiscated four weapons, along with a number of jackets and additional military equipment."

He added that the forces demolished the homes of the perpetrators of the attack, which is a punitive measure taken by the Israeli forces in response to the attacks, and they also “closed an underground space located next to one of the two homes.”

"They terrified my children"

On Monday morning, an Agence France-Presse correspondent spotted black marks in the shape of the letter “X” sprayed with paint on many buildings, indicating that they had been evacuated and searched.

Muhammad Jaaba, a relative of one of the perpetrators of the attack, said that the upper floor of the family’s home was destroyed, and that they intended to return to living on the lower floors.

Debris resulting from the bombing was scattered around the house, while other relatives were cleaning the parts that were still habitable.

Muhannad Al-Tamimi (33 years old), who returned to his home on Monday morning, said, "This is our house. The house is broken."

The soldiers had occupied his house since the beginning of the operation. He returned to find furniture and clothes scattered on the floor, mattresses upside down, and one of the children’s bicycle smashed.

Al-Tamimi recalled the morning of the start of the operation, when he was sleeping in his home, and how “soldiers stormed my house, blew up the door, and a unit of 25-26 soldiers entered, beat me, put a gun to my wife’s head, and terrified my children.”

He added that the soldiers kicked his young daughter, and he also accused them of stealing gold and money.

In response to a request for comment, the army said it was verifying these accusations.

Hebron Municipal Council member Reem Al-Sharif told AFP that municipal workers are helping with cleaning work in the area, confirming that the operation included two neighborhoods.

The operation in Hebron, the largest city in the West Bank, caused a dispute between the army chief of staff and the political leadership regarding its duration.

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported at the time that Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir called, during an assessment of the situation, for the operation to end by last Sunday after the completion of inspections, but Netanyahu insisted on its continuation.

Jordanian King Abdullah II said on Monday, during his throne speech before Parliament, “We repeatedly stress that there is no way to security and stability in our region, without fulfilling the right of the Palestinian people to their land.”

He added that "successive attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem" continue despite international demands to stop Israeli violations, stressing that "Israeli expansionist ambitions are the greatest threat to the future and hopes of the region."

East Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank cities were under Jordanian administration before Israel occupied them in 1967.

Israel recognizes the Kingdom's role in supervising Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem under the peace treaty signed between the two countries in 1994.

Jordan constantly affirms that the two-state solution is the only one that guarantees peace in the region, and grants security to Israel along with an independent, viable Palestinian state within the lines of June 4, 1967.

© 2026 AFP

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