Israeli forces detain at least 110 in Hebron, prisoners’ group says

Israeli forces detained at least 110 people across Hebron governorate since raids began, including three women and seven children, the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said on Wednesday, October 28. Al Jazeera carried the group’s figures in its October 29 account of the continuing lockdown.

Seven more Palestinians were detained and two were injured by Israeli forces on Thursday, October 29, WAFA said. Raids and movement restrictions continued for a seventh consecutive day.

The lockdown began on October 23, closing Hebron’s entrances and exits and restricting access to essential services. The operation followed the killing of two Israeli soldiers by Palestinian gunmen at a checkpoint near the Israeli settlement of Telem the previous week. Israeli forces later killed the gunmen in Hebron.

Detentions and releases

The cumulative figure is not a count of people still in custody. In its October 28 account of the society’s figures, WAFA said two of the three detained women had subsequently been released. The third remained under interrogation at the al-Moscobiya interrogation centre.

The same account said eight relatives of people who had been killed remained detained after their detention was extended and they were transferred to interrogation centres.

Road closures and medical care

Al Jazeera said Israeli forces had also isolated 12 villages and hamlets in Masafer Yatta, cutting residents and farmers off from urban centres and markets. Dozens of patients needing daily medical care were unable to reach hospitals.

Masafer Yatta’s hamlets lie 14–24 kilometres south of Hebron, within the same governorate. Hebron is a regional medical hub in the southern West Bank.

On October 25, WAFA said Israeli forces had closed an iron gate and blocked the main road connecting the affected communities. Among the places it identified were al-Zuweidin, al-Najada, al-Kaabneh, Hameida, al-Fakheit, Mughayer al-Obeid, al-Tabbana and al-Thaala.

WAFA said the interruption to daily treatment put patients’ lives at risk and threatened further deterioration in their health. The closures also prevented around 50 teachers from reaching schools and stopped livestock breeders from reaching markets or bringing in feed and veterinary medicines.

Treatment inside Hebron also faced disruption. Al Jazeera said Israeli forces fired tear-gas canisters at Al-Ahli Hospital during the operation, causing panic among patients and staff. Its October 29 account described the isolation of the surrounding communities as continuing, with patients still unable to reach daily care.