On January 19, 2026, Israeli occupation forces launched an unprecedented offensive in the southern area of occupied Hebron City, carrying out widespread detentions, imposing a curfew, and closing several roads with several ways: mud barriers, iron gates, damaged civilian vehicles, concrete blocks.... deploying hundreds of soldiers and heavy machinery in a move that has paralysed the city’s southern districts. Israeli forces closed the Tariq bin Ziyad roundabout with cement blocks and earth mounds.

Palestinian news agency Wafa reported at least seven arrests.

Israeli occupation forces arrest the two children Wasim Al-Mutawer and Murad Al-Faroukh, and the young man Mohammad Darwish Halaika, during a raid on the town of Sa’ir north of Hebron.

The army announced that the operation would continue for several days, with the Shin Bet security service and police participating. In a joint statement issued on Monday, the Israeli army and the internal security service, Shin Bet, confirmed the offensive, stating it aims to “thwart terror infrastructure” and confiscate weapons in the Jebel Johar area.

According to Al Jazeera Arabic’s correspondent Montaser Nassar there is a total lockdown: “We are in the so-called southern region of Hebron, which has been under a curfew since dawn. There is an intensive deployment of occupation forces … including bulldozers and tracked armoured vehicles.We witnessed tracked armoured vehicles … the last time we saw these in Hebron was during the second Intifada during [Israeli] Operation Defensive Shield,” While the army cited “counterterrorism goals”, Nassar observed soldiers installing new metal barriers, warning of a long-term tightening of control: "They brought in iron gates a short while ago, and this is the dangerous part. It seems that what is happening on the ground is a prelude to dividing the already divided.”

Joint statement by the IDF Spokesperson and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet):

"IDF, Shin Bet, police, and Border Police forces launched a large-scale counterterrorism operation overnight in the city of Hebron, within the Yehuda Brigade area. Security forces, led by the Yehuda Brigade, began an operation overnight (Sunday) in the Jabal Johar neighborhood of Hebron to dismantle terrorist infrastructure, suppress the illegal possession of weapons, and strengthen security in the area. The operation will continue for several days, during which explosions may be heard and there will be heightened movement of IDF forces in the area. Security forces will continue proactive operations to thwart terrorism throughout Judea and Samaria".

Ibrahimi Mosque under pressure:

The raid is taking place less than half a kilometre from the Ibrahimi Mosque, following recent Israeli moves to strip Palestinian authority over the site by the decision to ban the director of the Ibrahimi Mosque for 15 days. The management of the site is being transferred to the Israeli Civil Administration.

Pretext given by Israeli Army:

The IDF conducted a week-long operation in Jabal Johar, Hebron, involving the 932nd Battalion of the Nahal Brigade, elite units, snipers, drones, and armored NGMs deployed in the West Bank for the first time since the Second Intifada. A curfew was imposed, exits were blocked, and 350 buildings were searched house by house. The operation targeted the large number of weapons in the neighborhood, which overlooks Kiryat Arba and a Jewish settlement, as well as recent celebratory or clan-related gunfire that occasionally endangered settlers. Despite the scale, the IDF seized only eight firearms (M4s, M16s, and pistols), along with dozens of knives and other combat items, and arrested 14 Palestinians on suspicion of weapons possession, trafficking, or terrorist activity. No armed clashes occurred, and the army established semi-permanent outposts in key points of the neighborhood to maintain security buffers and enable rapid response to future incidents.

Fail of the operation showing the real goal:

The operation’s limited results was explained by Israeli ary by the difficulty of locating weapons, that Palestinians dismantle firearms and hide parts in multiple locations, including buried underground, inside vehicle hoods, under staircases, or within walls. Critics note that the low seizure rate—just eight weapons from 350 homes—demonstrates that the operation was largely ineffective, while the semi-permanent outposts and increased military presence serve more to assert control over Palestinian neighborhoods than to achieve tangible results in weapons confiscation.