After 10-day siege, Hebron governor says Israeli forces withdraw from city, families return

Withdrawal allows returns

The governor of Hebron said Israeli forces had left the southern occupied West Bank city after imposing a 10-day siege. The withdrawal cleared the way for displaced families to go home.

Mayor Youssef al-Jaabari said the municipality was officially notified at 6am (04:00 GMT). He said families could return and students could go back to school. The governor said relevant authorities and Palestinian security forces were monitoring conditions and working to make residents’ return safe. He described the closure as preventing entry and exit, with economic, educational, health and municipal activity halted.

Damage and displacement

Some residents returning home said soldiers had damaged the interiors of houses used as military posts. Others reported that money and personal possessions were missing. Al-Atrash said the Israeli military demolished the homes of the two attackers during the operation. Civil defence teams at one location warned that the remaining walls could collapse.

The Hebron Governorate said more than 3,300 Palestinians were displaced or otherwise affected, particularly in Al-Jalda and Ein Deir Baha. It reported that 15 homes and other structures were demolished and said the siege harmed the economy and infrastructure and disrupted education.

Political context

The governor said, “Israel attempted to establish a new pattern, testing international and local reactions.” Netanyahu’s electoral bloc won the most seats in the vote but did not secure a majority. Israel was left without a clear route to forming a new government.