Israeli forces displace 1,200 Palestinians in Hebron after deadly attack on soldiers

The Israeli military forced around 1,200 Palestinians to leave their homes in Hebron in the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian official said on Saturday, a day after a Palestinian attack killed two Israeli soldiers. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday said the military would launch ‌a large-scale operation after the soldiers were killed when two Palestinian gunmen opened fire ⁠at a military checkpoint near the city. The Israeli military said the gunmen were shot dead. Read moreNetanyahu vows to ‘destroy’ Hebron after 2 soldiers killed in ‘terrorist attack’ They also said the operation in the Al-Jaladah and Ein Deir Baha ‌neighbourhoods near the military checkpoint at the entrance of Hebron was to search for militants ⁠and weapons. In a statement, it also said the military would carry out demolitions. The Palestinian Authority criticised the operation as a "collective punishment" and called on Saturday for international pressure on Israel to protect Palestinians following the displacements. Yousef Zouhair Al-Jabari, the head of Hebron's municipality, said around 1,300 faced losing their homes in addition to the 1,200 already displaced. He also said the Israeli operati...