Israeli forces seize Hebron homes as military lockdown intensifies
- Israeli forces have converted Palestinian homes in Hebron into military barracks and observation posts.
- The military operation has displaced approximately 2,200 people, including infants and pregnant women.
- Hebron remains under a strict lockdown with all city entrances and exits sealed by the military.
- Local officials and activists have condemned the actions as collective punishment linked to upcoming Israeli elections.
- The Israeli military has conducted raids in over 400 locations and arrested 40 individuals since Friday.
Israeli military forces seized Palestinian homes in Hebron today to convert them into barracks and observation posts as part of an operation to thwart terrorism. Soldiers forced residents to flee their properties in the Khallat Manna and Dahiyat al-Zaytoun areas of the southern city.
The military action follows a deadly attack on an Israeli army reserve base on Friday that killed two soldiers. The two Palestinian suspects involved in the assault were also killed.
Israel prepared for a full lockdown of the occupied West Bank following the gunfight. The Israeli army demolished Palestinian buildings in Hebron.
Hebron is a city in the southern West Bank and is the capital of the Hebron Governorate. It is the third largest city in the country, located 30 kilometers south of Jerusalem. The city covers 74.1 square kilometers and is one of the Four Holy Cities in Judaism, while also holding status as a holy site in Christianity and Islam.
Over 2,200 Palestinians displaced in citywide lockdown
Israeli forces have displaced 293 families in Hebron, totaling approximately 2,200 people. Estimates of the displacement vary, with some reports placing the figure at 2,000 and others at 1,200.
The displaced population includes 127 infants, 81 pregnant women, and 26 individuals with disabilities. Soldiers razed a neighborhood in the city to drive these families from their homes.
The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club both reported that Israeli forces detained at least 47 Palestinians across Hebron since Friday.
Military operations target 400 locations across the West Bank
The Israel Defense Forces operated in more than 400 locations across the West Bank over the weekend. The military arrested 40 Palestinians during these raids, claiming they were affiliated with Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The Israel Defense Forces also announced a ban on the entry and exit of Palestinian workers throughout Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley. The order will see all land crossings close for Tuesday’s election in Israel.
Most workers also face a bar from entering settlements starting Sunday, though some exemptions exist for industrial zones. The BBC reported these restrictions follow a crackdown after Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers in the territory.
Hebron mayor and activists label actions as election-driven collective punishment
Hebron Mayor Yousef Zuhair Al-Jabari said the city remains sealed, with residents unable to enter or leave. The blockade has affected every aspect of life for the city’s population of 201,063 and the surrounding governorate of over 700,000 people.
Al-Jabari and civil-rights activist Issa Amro argue the operation is driven by the upcoming Israeli elections. Amro said residents are being collectively punished for acts they neither committed nor supported, turning local suffering into political material.
Critics described the actions as collective punishment. Arab News frames the displacement as collective punishment, while Middle East Eye foregrounds Israel’s justification of an operation to thwart terrorism.
Settlers establish new outposts on Palestinian land in Yatta
Activist Osama Makhamra told Wafa that settlers began establishing two new outposts on Palestinian-owned land in Yatta. Settlers placed a tent in the Khallet al-Fara area and conducted infrastructure work in the Yatta desert area between az-Zuweidin and Umm Qussa.
Palestinian Authority warns of mass displacement and calls for intervention
The Palestinian Authority called for urgent international intervention to stop home demolitions, forcible displacements, and military operations in Hebron. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation condemned the attack on Hebron and called for a halt to the displacement of 1,500 Palestinians.
The Hebron municipality reported that 35 hectares, or 86 acres, were destroyed or marked for destruction by Saturday afternoon. Municipal spokespeople said 300 families have been evicted in the district of Ein Deir Baha, while Wafa reported Israeli plans to displace 2,500 additional people.
The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor reported that Israeli soldiers raided and looted homes in Hebron. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry warned that these forced evacuations could repeat the mass displacement of Palestinians during the 1948 Nakba. The ministry urged the international community to prevent what it describes as possible acts of ethnic cleansing and genocide.
Netanyahu threatens further action as regional tensions rise
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed a military operation in the West Bank after an attack killed two Israeli soldiers. In an interview with Israel’s i24 television channel released Saturday, Netanyahu threatened a "very big surprise" for the Palestinian Authority.
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- Israeli Forces Turn Hebron Homes Into Military Posts, Displacing 293 Families (newscord.org)
- Hebron (Wikipedia — background) (en.wikipedia.org)
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