Israeli forces demolish brothers' Hebron homes, correspondent says

Israeli forces blew up the Hebron homes of brothers Ahmad and Hammouda al-Jaabeh on 30 October 2026, correspondent Mohammed al-Atrash said in Al Jazeera’s account. The demolitions came on the eighth day of a military operation in the occupied West Bank city, where families remained displaced or confined to their homes.

The operation followed the October 23 attack near the Farsh al-Hawa checkpoint at Hebron’s western entrance. The brothers carried out that attack, killing 2 Israeli soldiers and wounding 3 others, and were killed afterward, Al Jazeera said.

Explosives and detentions near the homes

Troops surrounded the homes from the morning and sealed off the area. Al-Atrash said army engineers spent at least 9 hours inside placing explosives before detonating them.

When residents tried to approach afterward, troops backed by drones detained at least 12 Palestinians nearby. Some remained detained when he spoke, and he said Al Jazeera had broadcast their abuse by Israeli troops live.

He also gave an operation-wide total of at least 120 Palestinians arrested, with hundreds more interrogated. Whether the nearby detentions were included in that cumulative total is unclear.

Displaced families seek a return

Hebron municipality’s tally on Tuesday, 27 October, put displacement at 4,969 Palestinians from 780 families. Al-Atrash said troops had emptied Ein Deir Bahha of residents and turned some homes into military barracks and command centers. Hundreds of families remained trapped at home in neighboring al-Jalda, and at least 13 businesses near the checkpoint had been demolished.

On the day of the home demolitions, displaced residents protested near the closed al-Jalda roundabout, demanding an end to the siege and the right to return home.

Security reasons and accusations of punishment

In its response to an earlier commercial-property demolition petition, the Israeli state said the attackers had used a factory as cover and that nearby construction posed an immediate security risk. The military described demolitions near the attack site as removing security risks and enforcing rules against unlawful construction, The Jerusalem Post said on 26 October.

The petitioners, Mustafa and Sufian Qawasmeh and the Al-Quds ceramics and sanitary ware company, denied assisting the attackers or knowing about the attack beforehand. They said the gunmen climbed over a locked gate.

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel argued that ministers' statements indicated a punitive purpose. It cited Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s description of demolitions as deterrence and as exacting a price for the attack.

Al-Atrash said Israeli officials had threatened to accelerate demolitions in Area C, the part of the West Bank under full Israeli control, in line with measures Smotrich approved after the attack.

Academic and Israeli-affairs expert Raed Nairat described the operation as collective punishment and said its aims were political rather than security-related. Hamas characterized the displacement and demolitions as a systematic campaign targeting the Palestinian presence.

Court requests and a possible military withdrawal

The earlier petition to Israel’s High Court of Justice concerned 2 commercial compounds near Hebron’s northern entrance. Justice Gila Canfy Steinitz directed the state to respond and said she expected it to preserve the existing situation pending a further decision. The current status of that direction, and whether it applied to the brothers' homes, remains unclear.

Adalah filed a broader petition on 29 October for Hebron municipality and 7 residents, seeking an immediate order against further evacuations and demolitions and orders allowing residents to return, The Jerusalem Post said that day. The petition alleges that residents were barred from returning until further notice and that movement restrictions hindered medical care and emergency vehicles. It also seeks safe passage for medical teams and municipal workers.

The newspaper also said the military had recommended allowing residents to return after inspecting the relevant areas and finding no clear military reason to stay, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had rejected that recommendation. Its account described a possible withdrawal or reduced military presence over the coming weekend as uncertain. The petitioners are seeking an urgent hearing and immediate protection against further evacuations and demolitions while their case is considered.