The key facts

  • Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz admitted the forcible displacement of about 2,000 Palestinians from Hebron and tied their return to the elimination of the

Defense minister's admission

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz admitted on Saturday that Israeli forces forcibly displaced about 2,000 Palestinians from their homes in Hebron in the southern occupied West Bank. In an interview with the public broadcaster KAN, he said that the displaced residents would not be allowed to return until, in his words, the

Course of the operation and its impact on the city

The statement came on the second day of the Israeli military operation in Hebron, which has disrupted the city's educational and municipal services. The Hebron education directorate canceled classes in schools on Sunday and Monday, while Hebron University and Al-Quds Open University moved Sunday classes online. The municipality reported that garbage is piling up because the closure of entrances to the city prevents access to disposal sites outside it.

The trigger for the operation

Israeli forces sealed off Hebron and the nearby town of Halhul on Friday after two Palestinians attacked an Israeli checkpoint. According to Israeli figures, two Israeli soldiers were killed and three others wounded, and both attackers were killed by Israeli forces. The army announced on Friday evening the launch of an operation expected to last several days, involving the Shin Bet and the Border Police.

Context and significance

Anadolu notes that the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, has seen an escalation since the start of Israel's war in the Gaza Strip in October 2023 of Israeli military attacks and settler violence, including the killing and detention of Palestinians, home demolitions, the burning of mosques and cars, the plowing of farmland, blocking farmers' access to their fields, the displacement of Palestinian communities, and settlement expansion. The defense minister's admission of the very fact that 2,000 people were displaced is a rare direct confirmation of the scale of population displacement in a specific city; it affects the fate of Hebron residents barred from returning home and means that the city's schools, universities, and municipal services will remain disrupted at least until the end of the announced multi-day operation.