Israeli Forces Raze Buildings in Hebron After Killing of Two Soldiers
Troops searched 200 locations and detained 10 suspects in the West Bank city following Friday's deadly shooting at Yehuda Junction.
By Leila Santos ·
Israeli troops and Civil Administration personnel tore down structures near the northern entrance to Hebron on Saturday, one day after a shooting attack at Yehuda Junction killed two soldiers, St.-Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem.
The military said the demolitions, carried out close to where the soldiers were killed, were meant to enforce law and order and to remove potential security threats. The operation is under the command of the Judea Brigade and involves troops from the Duvdevan and Maglan units, the Paratroopers Brigade, Givati reconnaissance reservists and Border Police, with intelligence guidance from the Shin Bet security agency.
Soldiers searched about 200 locations, ruled out the presence of weapons and terrorist activity, and arrested 10 suspects. IDF assessments put the number of residents affiliated with the Ja'aba clan at roughly 2,000. The clan is linked to Hamas, and military officials in Central Command identified the attackers as Hamouda and Firas al-Ja'aba, saying the two came from the Ein Dir-Baha neighborhood.
The military began evacuating the al-Jalda and Ein Dir-Baha neighborhoods on Friday evening, densely populated districts in western Hebron within the city's Palestinian urban area. Civilians who asked to leave were allowed to exit temporarily through designated checkpoints run by the Shin Bet and the IDF.
Officials said moving residents out of the buildings lets troops and Shin Bet personnel search structures, family homes and their surroundings for terrorist infrastructure, weapons, ammunition, explosives laboratories and weapons caches without endangering civilians. The area is known to the security establishment as a center of Hamas activity in Hebron.
A situational assessment was scheduled for Saturday to decide whether to expand the operation. Brig.-Gen. Kobi Heller, commander of the IDF's West Bank Division, meanwhile broadened arrest operations and searches in the Nablus, Jenin and Tulkarm areas, along with other locations in Samaria.
The expanded operations come as officials point to efforts by Hamas leadership abroad to organize attacks ahead of the elections.
Source: The Jerusalem Post
