IDF ends Hebron raid as governor tells displaced residents they can go home

Israeli forces have ended a military operation in and around the West Bank city of Hebron that began after a deadly shooting attack on troops at a checkpoint, and residents who were moved out of their homes have been told they may return. Times of Israel military correspondent Emanuel Fabian reported that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed it had completed the raid and pulled out of the neighborhood where the two gunmen had lived. Earlier reports, citing Palestinian media, said troops had left several neighborhoods of the city.

The Hebrew-language channel Abu Ali Express reported that the governor of Hebron informed evacuated residents that they could now go back. News.co.il carried the same notice, adding, on the basis of Arab sources, that forces had begun withdrawing from the areas of al-Jalada and Ein Dir Baha, to the west of Hebron, after roughly ten days of activity there.

The attack that prompted the operation

According to The Times of Israel, the raid followed a shooting on October 23 at a checkpoint on the edge of Hebron. Staff Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman was killed in the attack, as was Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem, and three more soldiers were hurt. The two attackers, identified as Hebron residents Mohammad Jaaba and Firas Jaaba, were both shot dead. Ynet referred to the site of the attack as the Yehuda junction.

The Times of Israel reported that in the aftermath the army knocked down structures near the checkpoint that it described as illegally built, entered the gunmen's neighborhood to demolish their homes, and carried out activity in other parts of the city as well. That report said the raid displaced thousands of residents. A photograph caption published with the reports, dated November 1, 2026, described Palestinians in Hebron protesting against their forced removal from their homes and against movement restrictions in parts of the city.

What the army says it found

Ynet reported that the IDF released a summary of the operation stating that forces searched hundreds of locations, detained and questioned dozens of suspects and seized 4 weapons, alongside demolishing the attackers' homes. Ynet's headline characterised the results as meagre. The Times of Israel, for its part, reported that the IDF said it had detained dozens of suspects for questioning and recovered three firearms.

Hebron and how such raids work

Hebron is one of the largest Palestinian cities in the West Bank, the territory Israel captured from Jordan and which Palestinians seek as part of a future state. The city is also home to a small Jewish community and to the Cave of the Patriarchs, a site sacred to both Jews and Muslims, and Israeli military presence there is a long-standing point of friction.

The steps described in these reports, including demolishing the homes of attackers, wide sweeps with mass questioning of residents, and temporary displacement of people from areas where troops are operating, are measures the Israeli military has used in the West Bank after deadly attacks. Israel describes home demolitions as a deterrent; Palestinians and rights groups have long objected to them as collective punishment. The Jerusalem Post described the Hebron operation as controversial, citing the forced evacuations alongside the investigation into the attack.

The reports refer to the governor of Hebron as the official who told residents they could return. In the West Bank, Palestinian governorates are administered by appointees of the Palestinian Authority, the body that runs civil affairs in parts of the territory.

Where the reports differ

• Duration: The Times of Israel and Fabian put the operation at 11 days. Abu Ali Express said ten days, and News.co.il said about ten days.
• Weapons seized: Ynet, citing the IDF summary, gave the figure as 4 weapons. The Times of Israel reported three firearms.
• Formal end: Ynet said the IDF published its summary without an official statement that the operation was over. Fabian's later post on X said the IDF had confirmed it had completed the raid.
• Location: The English reports describe withdrawal from several neighborhoods of Hebron itself. News.co.il named al-Jalada and Ein Dir Baha, west of the city.

What the reports do not say

None of the reports gives a precise count of the people displaced beyond "thousands", or says how many homes and structures were demolished. They do not say how many of those detained remain in custody or whether any have been charged. The governor of Hebron is not named, and it is not stated whether all displaced residents can return or only some. The reports also do not say whether movement restrictions in parts of the city have been lifted, or whether any Israeli forces remain in the areas that were the focus of the operation.