Fifty-year-old factories bulldozed in Hebron: Israeli operation leaves the city's businesses counting millions in losses

Sufyan al-Qawasmi stood near the rubble of his factories in the Farsh al-Hawa area of Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, 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 that morning near Hebron's western entrance in which two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers; both gunmen were also killed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then announced a large-scale military operation across Hebron and ordered preparations for a wider closure of the illegally occupied West Bank.

Human rights groups have decried the demolitions as collective punishment. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich justified them as 'establishing deterrence and exacting a price'.

The family's first factory, which produced ceramics, was established 50 years ago — the same age as al-Qawasmi himself. Fifteen years later, the family opened a marble factory. The business flourished into one of the most significant industrial operations in the West Bank, exporting goods to Israel and providing a livelihood for more than 70 people.

In the space of a few hours on Friday, both the ceramic factory and the marble factory were gone, along with several neighbouring buildings, including a three-storey house and various commercial facilities. At the same time, all entrances to the city were closed, raids and arrests were carried out, and more than 3,000 Palestinians were forcibly evacuated from their homes.

Al-Qawasmi says he was given no chance to retrieve goods from the warehouses and factories before the demolitions began, leaving the stock buried under the rubble. 'We managed to retrieve some marble slabs and store them in facilities belonging to friends nearby, but most of the stock was destroyed,' he said.

He says 1,300 square metres of the family's business property, including its offices, was destroyed, and estimates the losses at no less than 60 million shekels ($19m).

According to the Hebron Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Hebron is a primary pillar of the Palestinian economy, contributing approximately 42 percent of Palestinian gross domestic product. It is home to more than 23,000 economic establishments, including more than 5,000 industrial and artisanal facilities employing approximately 40,000 workers, across sectors such as stone and marble, plastics, metals, food production, leather and footwear, and glass.

Adnan al-Natsha, vice president of the Hebron Chamber of Commerce, said there are no precise figures yet for the total losses from the Israeli operation; work is under way to compile statistics on the damage to businesses and homes, estimated to be in the millions of dollars. He said closing off areas of the city, displacing residents, demolishing buildings and shutting shops have worsened an already difficult economic situation: business owners cannot operate because workers cannot reach their workplaces, and the impact extends to the Palestinian economy as a whole.

Ibrahim Ahmaro, who owns a vegetable shop in the al-Jalada neighbourhood, said he was arranging his stock on Friday for Saturday — typically the busiest day, when buses bring Palestinian citizens of Israel shopping for cheaper produce — when military vehicles stormed the area and soldiers forced him to leave immediately, without a chance to switch on the refrigeration units or retrieve his vehicle. When he returned on Sunday morning to check his stock, soldiers attacked him inside the shop and forced him out; after pleading, he was given a few minutes to remove a few crates, which he placed 400 metres away so locked-down residents could take what they needed. His losses on those goods alone exceed 50,000 shekels ($16,200).

Economic expert Ali Oweiwi said the destruction of vehicle-dismantling workshops, spare-parts shops and tile shops has caused losses estimated at 70 to 80 million shekels ($22.7m to $26m), in addition to the seizure of dozens or perhaps hundreds of vehicles. If the operation ends within a day or two, the economy might recover relatively quickly, he said, but if it persists for more than 10 days it could lead to accumulating goods, transport disruption and falling productivity.

The Israeli military continues to lock down Hebron, installing checkpoints, earthen berms and concrete blocks across the city as it conducts raids, and has not announced an end date for the lockdown. Israel is due to vote for a new parliament in elections on Tuesday.