IDF Demolishes 200 Sites, Evacuates Hebron Neighborhoods After Junction Ambush

Israeli troops searched roughly 200 locations near Hebron on Saturday, arresting 10 suspects, two days after a shooting at Yehuda Junction killed St.-Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem. Troops and Civil Administration personnel demolished buildings and infrastructure near the northern entrance to Hebron, close to where Friday's attack occurred. The military said the structures were removed to enforce law and rule out security threats they could pose.

The operation is under the Judea Brigade, with Duvdevan and Maglan units, Paratroopers, Givati reconnaissance reservists and Border Police taking part. The Shin Bet provides intelligence. Military officials in Central Command identified the attackers as Hamouda and Firas al-Ja'aba, both affiliated with Hamas, and said the two came directly from the Ein Dir-Baha neighborhood.

About 2,000 residents in the area belong to the Ja'aba clan, which is affiliated with Hamas, IDF assessments state. The gunmen came from that clan. The military began evacuating the al-Jalda and Ein Dir-Baha neighborhoods on Friday evening. Civilians who asked to leave were allowed to exit temporarily through checkpoints run by the Shin Bet and the IDF. Officials said removing residents lets troops and Shin Bet personnel search homes and their surroundings for weapons, ammunition, explosives laboratories and caches without endangering civilians. The area is a known center of Hamas activity in Hebron, officials said.

Brig.-Gen. Kobi Heller, commander of the West Bank Division, widened arrest operations and searches to Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarm and other parts of Samaria. A situational assessment was set for Saturday to decide whether to expand the operation further. The expansion follows concerns about Hamas leadership abroad working to organize attacks before the elections.