Israeli army continues operation in Hebron: number of displaced Palestinians exceeds 2,600

Hebron operation enters fourth day

The Israeli army on Monday continued its large-scale military operation in Hebron in the West Bank for the fourth consecutive day, the Anadolu agency reports. The military closed all entrances to the city and surrounding villages on Friday — after an attack in which two Israeli soldiers were killed. Overnight into Monday, according to the agency's local sources, additional forces with military hardware entered the city through the Farsh al-Hawa entrance, and troops carried out a raid in the southern part of Hebron near the Karbaj hill.

Raids, lockdown and detentions

Early Monday morning, military reinforcements and large trucks arrived in the Al-Jilda area, where, according to sources, Israeli forces seized several Palestinian vehicles. Anadolu footage captured soldiers at checkpoints near the Al-Jilda roundabout stopping and searching Palestinians. Additional forces also arrived in the Deir Bakha area, where, according to witnesses, several more vehicles were seized. In the Jabal al-Rahma area, witnesses report, the street was divided between Palestinians and Israeli settlers, restricting Palestinian movement. According to the Palestinian Prisoner's Society, since Friday in Hebron 50 Palestinians have been arrested.

Number of displaced rises

Hebron Mayor Yousef al-Jabari told Anadolu on Sunday that since the start of the operation the army had forced about 2,200 Palestinians to leave their homes, and had also demolished five commercial and industrial facilities and a three-story residential building. On Monday, the local relief committee updated its estimate: the number of displaced from the area has reached approximately 2,649 people. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz acknowledged on Saturday evening that about 2,000 Palestinians had been forcibly displaced, and said they would not be allowed to return until, in his words, the 'Hamas infrastructure' in the city is 'dismantled.' Thus, the Israeli side's figures and those of local sources on the number of displaced differ, with the relief committee's estimate higher than the defense minister's figure.

Context and significance

Anadolu notes that the operation is taking place against the backdrop of intensified attacks by the Israeli army and settler violence against Palestinians across the entire occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since the start of Israel's war in Gaza in October 2023. According to the agency, these attacks include the killing and arrest of Palestinians, the demolition of homes and other structures, the burning of mosques and vehicles, the plowing of farmland, the denial of farmers' access to their fields, the displacement of Palestinian communities, and the expansion of illegal settlements. Editorial note: for Hebron residents, the immediate consequences of the operation remain closed entrances, the seizure of vehicles, movement restrictions, and the inability of thousands of displaced people to return to their homes — while the timing of the operation's end and the conditions for return are not specified in the published materials.