IDF May Reduce Hebron Presence After Evacuations, Court Petition Seeks Halt
The Israeli military is considering scaling back its presence in a Hebron neighborhood following the forced evacuation of thousands of residents, while a human-rights group has filed a petition to stop further evacuations and demolitions.
The Israel Defense Forces are weighing a withdrawal or reduction of troops from a Hebron neighborhood this weekend, according to sources familiar with the plan. The move follows an operation that forced around 2,000 residents to leave their homes after a deadly attack on Friday morning that authorities linked to a Hamas-affiliated clan, though the military has not provided detailed evidence connecting most evacuees to specific crimes.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously rejected a recommendation from IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir to end the operation before the election, but officials say the political landscape has shifted, prompting a reassessment of the military’s presence.
"We have inspected the relevant areas and see no clear military reason to remain," an IDF spokesperson said, adding that the force had destroyed illegally built structures that were said to hinder security operations.
Human-rights organization Adalah filed a petition with the High Court of Justice on behalf of Hebron’s municipality and seven residents, asking the court to bar further evacuations and demolitions while the case proceeds. The petition alleges that troops ordered families in the Ein Deir Baha and al-Jalda neighborhoods to leave in the early hours of Oct. 23-24, gave no timetable for return, and turned some homes into military positions. It also claims that demolition orders and movement restrictions have impeded medical services, waste collection and other essential functions.
Municipal figures cited in the filing estimate that up to 780 families—potentially nearly 5,000 people—could be affected, a higher count than the initial 2,000 estimate. The petition argues that the scale and indefinite nature of the evacuations violate Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which permits temporary displacement only for civilian safety or imperative military reasons and requires prompt return once hostilities cease.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel has also called for the immediate return of displaced residents, the lifting of movement bans and a halt to demolition activities it describes as collective punishment. The petition names the defense minister, the head of IDF Central Command, the military advocate-general and the attorney-general as respondents, seeking urgent judicial protection for the affected population.