Hebron businesses lose $19m in factories after sudden Israeli demolition order

Sufyan al-Qawasmi’s family lost two factories, a three-storey house, and several commercial facilities in the Farsh al-Hawa area of Hebron on Friday. Israeli bulldozers dismantled the structures without prior warning, leaving the owners to stand among the debris.

The demolitions followed a shooting attack near Hebron’s western entrance that morning. Two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers before both were killed in return. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu subsequently ordered a large-scale military operation across Hebron and prepared for a wider closure of the occupied West Bank.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich described the demolitions as a method to establish deterrence and exact a price. Human rights groups view the practice as collective punishment, particularly because al-Qawasmi was targeted for his proximity to the attack site rather than his relationship to the attackers.

The al-Qawasmi family had operated the first facility, a ceramics factory, for 50 years. They opened a marble factory 15 years later. Together, the two sites employed more than 70 people and exported goods to Israel. Al-Qawasmi estimates the total loss at no less than 60 million shekels, or $19 million. He said the family could not retrieve most of the stock buried under the rubble before the work began.

Hebron serves as a primary pillar of the Palestinian economy, contributing approximately 42 percent of the Palestinian gross domestic product. The city is home to more than 23,000 economic establishments, including 5,000 industrial and artisanal facilities that employ 40,000 workers.

Adnan al-Natsha, vice president of the Hebron Chamber of Commerce and Industry, stated that officials are compiling statistics on the damage. He noted that the military measures have exacerbated the economic situation in a city that already houses an Israeli settlement in its commercial center.

Ibrahim Ahmaro, a vegetable shop owner in the al-Jalada neighborhood, lost his inventory when soldiers forced him to leave his store on Friday. He was not given time to turn on refrigeration units or retrieve his vehicle. By Sunday, when he returned to check his stock, soldiers attacked him inside the shop. He was allowed a few minutes to remove crates, which he placed 400 meters away for local residents. Ahmaro valued those specific goods at more than 50,000 shekels.

Economic expert Ali Oweiwi said the restrictions have created challenges for companies, factories, and the transport sector. He estimated that the destruction of facilities specializing in vehicle dismantling, spare parts, and tiles resulted in losses of 70 to 80 million shekels. Dozens to hundreds of vehicles belonging to these owners were also seized. Israel has not announced an end date for the lockdown before its parliamentary elections on Tuesday.