Israel begins demolitions in West Bank

Israeli forces pushed into the West Bank city of Hebron on Saturday, displacing approximately 250 families, according to Dawn. Residents reported that soldiers announced evacuations over loudspeakers late at night. A shopkeeper in the Ein Deir Baha neighborhood told Dawn that a senior officer ordered him to leave at 1:00 a.m., stating the evacuation would last until further notice.

Following a Friday attack that killed two Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he planned an operation of a scale not seen since Israel first occupied the West Bank in 1967.

Other reports provide different figures regarding the number of people displaced. France 24 and RTE News report that a Palestinian official said around 1,200 Palestinians were forced to leave their homes in Hebron. The head of Hebron's municipality told France 24 that an additional 1,300 people may also be forced to leave. Al Jazeera reports that Palestinians in Hebron are living in fear as the city is closed and Israeli forces arrest dozens across the West Bank.

In Canada, a group of lawyers and civil society representatives filed a complaint with the Competition Bureau regarding Israeli real estate events in Toronto and Montreal. CityNews reports the complaint alleges that at least four Israeli real estate companies and a Canadian marketing agency promoted properties in the West Bank by misleading consumers into believing they were located in Israel. The Competition Bureau stated it will review the complaint to determine if an investigation is warranted.

Brief written by urgent.news from France 24, CityNews, Al Jazeera, RTE News, Dawn — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.