'Everything Destroyed': Hebron Businesses Count Cost of Israeli Assault
Israeli demolitions and road closures have devastated businesses in Hebron, leaving owners facing millions in losses.
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Sufian al-Qawasmi (left) stands in front of the rubble of one of his family's factories after it was demolished by Israel on Friday in Hebron. [Sari Jaradat/Al Jazeera]
By
Fayha Shalash
Published On
26 Oct 2026
26 Oct 2026
Hebron, occupied West Bank –
Sufyan al-Qawasmi stood near the rubble of his factories in the Farsh al-Hawa area of Hebron, lamenting the business he watched vanish beneath the debris.
Israeli bulldozers demolished the factories on Friday without any prior warning or notice, following a shooting attack carried out by two Palestinians that morning near Hebron’s western entrance. The attack
killed two Israeli soldiers
, as well as the two Palestinian gunmen, and prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to announce a
large-scale military operation
across Hebron and order preparations for a wider closure of the illegally occupied West Bank.
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Demolitions are regularly used by Israel to punish Palestinians, typically the family members of attackers, but in al-Qawasmi’s case, for the misfortune of being close to the site of an attack. Human rights groups decry the practice, which is regarded as collective punishment.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich justified the demolitions as “establishing deterrence and exacting a price”.
The Israeli bulldozers destroyed a business that al-Qawasmi’s family had built up for his whole life, and provided a livelihood for more than 70 people. The first factory, which produced ceramics, is the same age as he is – it was established 50 years ago. Fifteen years later, the family opened a marble factory.
Their business flourished, becoming one of the most significant industrial operations in the West Bank, with goods exported to Israel.
In the space of a few hours on Friday, the ceramic factory and marble factory were gone, as well as several neighbouring buildings, including a three-storey house and various commercial facilities. Simultaneously, the city faced an Israeli military incursion that included the closure of all entrances, raids, arrests, and the
forced evacuation of more than 3,000 Palestinians
from their homes, severely disrupting the lives of residents and the city’s commercial activity.
The message was clear: the whole city would be punished for the actions of the attackers.