Three homes belonging to families in Givat Beit Anav, near Kiryat Arba in the Hebron Hills, were demolished overnight between Wednesday and Thursday, along with the neighborhood synagogue and an observation tower. According to residents, the raid began in the middle of the night, the families were given only a few minutes to leave, and children were taken out of bed wrapped in blankets.
Residents said the forces did not stop at the demolitions. They also confiscated the vehicles of two residents and an additional trailer, and three residents were arrested and taken to a police station. Yeron Kalab, who was evacuated with his wife and eight children, said, “We woke up to a crazy and absurd event. Hundreds of police surrounded our house in a complex operation as if we were heads of a crime organization. They gave us 10 minutes to get the children out of the house, then Arab workers started throwing out all the furniture and personal equipment. The baby crib, the beds, the clothes, the kitchenware, everything. The children were in shock.”
Kalab said that before the family moved to Beit Anav, “the entire ridge was under massive illegal Arab takeover, pirate water theft and hunting from nearby villages,” adding that security authorities ignored the situation for years and only acted when Jews moved in. He said the destroyed homes would be rebuilt and the hill would be restored, with a permanent Jewish settlement eventually established there.
Magen David Adom was not mentioned, but the Israel Police Border Guard said the operation was carried out by the Civil Administration under an order signed by the commander of Central Command, Major General Avi Blot. The force said it was enforcing against several illegal Israeli construction elements in the Tzomet HaOwkafim area of the Judea Brigade, and said the demolition followed criminal activity, violence and other offenses that had affected regional security. The police said the enforcement was completed without unusual incidents.
