The settlers put up no resistance, according to Israeli police, and the operation was completed within 20 minutes. The group, which claims to have bought the property, had earlier expressed confidence in being allowed to stay, saying they were preparing the house for Passover, which begins on Friday.
The settlers' takeover of the house in the most sensitive area of the West Bank caused a row within the Israeli cabinet, with the deputy prime minister, Moshe Yaalon, openly criticising the defence minister, Ehud Barak, who authorised the original eviction order.
Barak had insisted on compliance with the law, but pro-settler members of the cabinet – some of whom made supportive visits to the house – accused him of taking unilateral and provocative steps. Israeli security forces were reported to be concerned that the settlers' actions could lead to violent confrontations in Hebron.
The deadline for the settlers to leave the house voluntarily expired at 3pm on Tuesday, but the prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, intervened and no action was taken. A meeting of senior politicians and officials decided late on Tuesday night to set a new deadline of 25 April.
The house was sealed following the eviction until ownership can be established by the Israeli courts.
The settlers had entered the house, close to the religious site known to Jews as the Tomb of the Patriarchs and to Muslims as the Ibrahim mosque, in the early hours of last Thursday under police and army protection.
Hazem Abu Rajab, 25, a member of the extended Palestinian family living in the large three-storey property, said they were woken at 1am by Israeli soldiers, armed and wearing black, who broke down three doors. "Within five minutes, 100 to 150 settlers were inside," he said.
The family insisted it had the deeds and other documentation, and pointed out that anyone legitimately purchasing a property would use keys rather than break down doors in the middle of the night.
The house had been successively inherited by the original owner's sons, grandsons and great-grandsons, said Abu Rajab. "If the settlers did buy, it was from one owner out of many. This house belongs to the whole family."
The settlers said they had submitted documentation to the Israeli authorities showing they had bought the house from a Palestinian man who in turn bought it from a member or members of the family. But the Civil Administration, the Israeli governing body in the West Bank, said the settlers had failed to obtain the required permit to purchase property in the occupied territory, and were therefore ordered to evacuate the house.
David Wilder, a spokesman for the Hebron settlers, said the demand to leave the house stemmed from "political reasons". He denied the settlers' takeover was provocative, saying: "Any normal community wants to be able to grow, live normally, buy houses."
About 500 hardline settlers live in a closed military zone in the heart of Hebron, protected by a large military presence. The city is home to 180,000 Palestinians.
