Families were evacuated and homes were demolished in Hebron during an Israeli military operation after two soldiers were killed

Israeli forces forced about 250 Palestinian families to leave their homes in the city of Hebron in the southern occupied West Bank, according to local sources, in conjunction with the demolition of homes and imposing broad restrictions on movement, following an attack that resulted in the killing of two Israeli soldiers on Friday.

Israel had announced the start of a military operation in Hebron, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to evacuate the neighborhood from which he said the perpetrators of the attack came, and to conduct house-to-house searches, confiscate weapons, and destroy what he described as the militants’ infrastructure.

The head of the Tamimi family in Hebron, Hijazi Al-Tamimi, told the BBC that Israeli forces forced residents in the Al-Jalda and Deir Baha areas to evacuate their homes under immediate military orders.

In a phone call, Al-Tamimi narrated that soldiers stormed his house and gave him and his family only 15 minutes to leave. He added that he tried to negotiate with them, but time only allowed them to take some documents and identification papers related to ownership of the house.

Al-Tamimi lives with his children and their families, numbering about 70 people, in one residential building. He described the evacuation as "tragic," noting that he and his wife were suffering from health problems, and that the family had to transport the elderly in wheelchairs.

He said that the Israeli army placed black marks on about 20 houses, without explaining the reason for this or the fate of those houses. He added that the house of one of his relatives had been turned into a military barracks where field investigations were being conducted, according to his account.

Regarding the destination of the families who left their homes, Al-Tamimi told the BBC that residents of Hebron opened their homes to receive them, in addition to opening family offices and wedding halls to accommodate the displaced.

He called on the United Nations to provide international protection, stressing his commitment to remaining in his land and country.

On Saturday, Israel imposed widespread closures that included roads and entrances in Hebron, while the Associated Press reported that up to 300 families were evacuated from their homes in neighborhoods in the city.

The Israeli army said that two soldiers were killed and three others were slightly injured in an attack near Hebron on Friday, and that the forces killed two Palestinian militants who it said carried out the attack.

Netanyahu issued instructions to impose a security cordon on Hebron and prepare for a comprehensive closure of the West Bank.

Reuters reported that Israeli bulldozers began demolishing homes following Netanyahu's statements, while residents said that the targeted properties had no connection to the perpetrators of the attack.