OMM Newsroom
Israeli rights group B’Tselem said on Saturday that Israel was extending what it called an “ethnic cleansing” campaign to the West Bank city of Hebron, with plans for mass displacement and destruction already being put into action. Anadolu Agency reported the statement.
B’Tselem urged governments and international institutions to use all means available under international law to prevent the forced displacement of Palestinian civilians, collective punishment and extensive unlawful destruction.
“Israeli leaders are openly declaring their intentions, and actions on the ground have already begun,” the group said.
Israeli officials announce plans after shooting
After a shooting near Hebron on Friday that killed two Israeli soldiers, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced plans to forcibly displace Palestinian residents and carry out extensive destruction, B’Tselem said.
“We will apply in the cities the successful offensive model we implemented in the refugee camps,” Netanyahu said.
The model has already displaced more than 33,000 Palestinians in the northern West Bank, according to B’Tselem. The group warned that Israeli leaders were threatening to bring similar mass displacement and destruction to Hebron.
Israeli forces have cordoned off Hebron and nearby Halhul, while the Civil Administration has begun demolishing Palestinian structures in the Farsh al-Hawa neighborhood, the group said.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced four new settlement farming outposts in the South Hebron Hills.
Israeli army continues Hebron siege
B’Tselem warned that the plans could constitute war crimes and said they echoed Israel’s operations during its multi-year genocide in the Gaza Strip. The group described them as part of a broader effort to dismantle Palestinian life while expanding settlements and entrenching permanent Israeli control.
“The world cannot stand by as Israel continues its assault on Palestinians, waiting for yet more neighborhoods to be emptied and erased before intervening,” it said.
The statement came as the Israeli army continued its siege of Hebron for a second day, forcing dozens of Palestinians from their homes, demolishing a residential building and other structures, and raiding homes.
The closure followed Friday’s shooting, in which two Palestinians were also killed and three other soldiers were wounded, according to Israeli figures.
