A Palestinian man inspects the damage to his home in the Deir Baha area of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, on November 2, 2026, after returning following his displacement in an Israeli military operation last week. (AFP Photo)
Israeli troops withdrew on Nov. 2 from an area of the occupied West Bank’s largest city that they had evacuated of its Palestinian residents, following an attack that killed two soldiers in October.
The operation had emptied a neighborhood in Hebron city where the two gunmen had lived, with soldiers later destroying their homes, a practice commonly carried out by the military as punishment for attacks.
AFP journalists witnessed residents returning to their houses on Nov. 2 after the military left, with many in disarray after having been searched by troops.
On Oct. 23, days ahead of close-fought Israeli elections, two Palestinian gunmen attacked an army checkpoint near Hebron, killing two soldiers before being shot dead in a firefight.
The attack sparked the immediate demolition of buildings in the vicinity of the checkpoint, as well as vows of a major retaliatory operation from senior officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
