In brief
An Israeli 10‑day military operation in Hebron, launched after a shooting that took the lives of two soldiers, concluded on Monday with the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the return of displaced residents. The operation, begun on Oct. 23, involved the evacuation of families, house demolitions, weapon seizures, and the detention of dozens of suspects. The decision to end the operation was made by Defence Minister Israel Katz a night before parliament also held its last election vote.
On Monday, Israeli forces pulled out of the West Bank city of Hebron, ending a ten‑day military operation that began on Oct. 23 after a shooting that killed two Israeli soldiers. According to a statement from a military spokesperson quoted by Xinhua, the troops had evacuated Palestinian families, demolished homes of the attackers, seized four weapons and detained dozens of suspects during the operation. Residents began returning to their homes that same day.
The decision to withdraw was announced by Defence Minister Israel Katz on Sunday night, a time that was described by Israeli Army Radio as a “last‑minute” move made after the military had requested an earlier cease of the operation ahead of last week’s parliamentary election.
Xinhua notes that the operation had included “widespread closures” and the compulsory removal of families from several neighbourhoods. The spokesperson claimed that the forces had taken four weapons and demolished the homes of the two attackers who were said to have carried out the shooting. The military also detained dozens of suspects, though the exact number was not disclosed by the source.
The announcement by the head of Hebron’s local authority echoes the statements that had been reported earlier by Al‑Jazeera, which stated that the governor of Hebron said Israeli forces had withdrawn from the city, allowing displaced families to return. While the original Al‑Jazeera story could not be accessed, the summary in the source list confirms the governor’s remark about the withdrawal and the return of families.
Al‑Monitor also recorded that troops had left a neighbourhood of Hebron after the evacuation of Palestinian residents. Though the short citation did not provide details of the houses which had been demolished or the exact number of displaced families, the outlet established that the withdrawal had taken place on Monday.
Details that were not confirmed by the sources include how many families were displaced, how many houses were demolished, the exact number of suspects detained, and whether any of those suspects would face future legal proceedings. Likewise, the broader impact of the military’s decision on the upcoming parliamentary outcomes remains unclear, as does the extent of any damage to the urban infrastructure during the ten‑day occupation.
In summary, the Israeli military withdrew from Hebron on Monday, after a ten‑day operation that began with a lethal shooting. The operation saw resident families forced out, homes of attackers demolished, four weapons seized and dozens of suspects detained. The drawdown was made by Defence Minister Israel Katz late on Sunday, at a time that followed a request by the army to end before the national election. The operation’s scale and implications remain uncertain, leaving details about the number of displaced families, suspects, and broader strategic consequences unresolved.