Israeli forces carry out arrests and demolitions in Hebron
The operation in the occupied West Bank followed an attack in which two Palestinian gunmen killed two soldiers and wounded three others.
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The operation in the occupied West Bank followed an attack in which two Palestinian gunmen killed two soldiers and wounded three others.
Israeli forces carried out arrests and demolitions in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, on 24 October. Municipal data cited on 27 October counted 488 displaced families, while Governor Khaled Dudin described hundreds of house searches and extensive restrictions on movement through the city.
The operation followed a 23 October attack by two Palestinian gunmen that killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others. The Israeli military said both gunmen were killed and that it had begun searches on 23 October in the area from which they operated.
Al Jazeera’s 27 October account cited Hebron municipality data carried by Palestinian news agency Wafa, counting at least 3,171 people from 488 families forced from their homes by 26 October. That is distinct from the municipality’s statement counting 3,189 people, cited in AFP’s 26 October report carried by France 24. The lower figure is not an established decline in displacement or a correction to the earlier count.
| Account | Scope | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Municipal statement cited on 26 October |
The agency is distributing emergency bedding to affected families as its West Bank director calls for displaced residents to be allowed home with access to essential services.
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| People forced from their homes by the operation |
| 3,189 people |
| Municipal data carried by Wafa and cited on 27 October | Displacement by 26 October | 488 families comprising at least 3,171 people |
| Governor Khaled Dudin, cited on 26 October | Wider Hebron governorate | 488 families comprising 3,171 people |
The household tally matches the figures attributed to Dudin on 26 October for the wider governorate—the administrative district that includes Hebron city. It does not describe another group of displaced families.
Dudin also said Israeli forces had fragmented the city through closed gates and checkpoints. His figures describe both the scale of the searches and the barriers residents face when moving around Hebron.
| Measure | Number |
|---|---|
| Homes searched | More than 500 |
| People arrested | More than 70 |
| Closed gates | 128 |
| Checkpoints | 120 |
The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society separately counted at least 71 people detained from 23 to 26 October.
United Nations (UN) human rights chief Volker Turk said on 26 October that the operation had forcibly displaced thousands of Palestinians, demolished homes and commercial property, and deprived residents of freedom of movement. The lockdown confined many people to their homes and immediate neighbourhoods.
Turk said the sweeping measures raised grave concerns about unnecessary and disproportionate force, which he called on Israel to end. Senior Israeli officials’ statements indicated that the measures were punitive and designed to instil fear, he said.
He described collective punishment as a grave violation of international law and warned that threats to empty and erase entire neighbourhoods raised “serious concerns of ethnic cleansing”. These were warnings from the UN rights chief, not findings by a court.
Earlier counts covered different areas or came from different organisations. Municipal authorities said most displaced residents were women, children and elderly people.
| Account | Count and scope |
|---|---|
| Hebron municipality, cited on 26 October | 370 families, nearly 2,000 people, displaced from Ein Deir Baha |
| Hebron municipality, cited on 25 October | Nearly 500 families uprooted; the targeted displacement area covered 35 hectares |
| Palestinian Prisoner’s Society, 25 October | 293 families comprising about 2,200 people displaced across Hebron |
City officials and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society also gave separate breakdowns of displaced residents. Their elderly-person counts differ and describe each organisation’s own tally.
| Account | Group | Count |
|---|---|---|
| City officials, 26 October | Babies and children under 18 | Almost half of those displaced |
| City officials, 26 October | Pregnant women | 81 |
| City officials, 26 October | Elderly people | 204 |
| Palestinian Prisoner’s Society, 25 October | Infants | 127 |
| Palestinian Prisoner’s Society, 25 October | Pregnant women | 81 |
| Palestinian Prisoner’s Society, 25 October | People with disabilities | 26 |
| Palestinian Prisoner’s Society, 25 October | People with chronic illnesses | 134 |
| Palestinian Prisoner’s Society, 25 October | People over 60 | 265 |
Al Jazeera’s 26 October account said soldiers had converted dozens of displaced families’ homes into barracks and field interrogation centres. Wafa had said on 25 October that homes in Khallat Manna and Dahiyat al-Zaytoun were being used as barracks, while homes elsewhere became observation posts.
In the Guardian’s 26 October account, Ein Deir Baha resident Fahed Ahmaro said military loudspeakers told homeowners around midnight to leave immediately for their safety. Thirty members of his family lived in his house. After leaving, he was told soldiers had broken through its gates; he later saw lights inside but could not tell what had happened to the house.
Abdul Halim al-Tamimi said his family was given 10 minutes to leave and was forced out after refusing. By 25 October, Israeli flags and military vehicles surrounded his home, which troops were using as a headquarters. The military said residents had left voluntarily and that civilians who wished to evacuate were permitted to leave temporarily. The residents disputed that description.
The military also said about 2,000 local people belonged to a clan it associated with Hamas and from which it alleged the gunmen came. Residents disputed that account; Tamimi said his family was unrelated.
Israeli bulldozers demolished Sufyan al-Qawasmi’s ceramic and marble factories in Farsh al-Hawa on 23 October, Al Jazeera said on 26 October. Al-Qawasmi said the family business supported more than 70 people and that 1,300 square metres of property, including its offices, had been destroyed. He received no warning or chance to retrieve goods. The family recovered some marble slabs, but most stock was destroyed.
Ibrahim Ahmaro, a vegetable shop owner in al-Jalada, said soldiers forced him to leave on 23 October without allowing him to switch on the refrigeration units. The lockdown kept him away for days, leaving produce to spoil. He said soldiers forced him out when he returned on 25 October but allowed him a few minutes to remove some crates.
| Owner and business | Loss described | Owner’s estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Sufyan al-Qawasmi, ceramic and marble factories | Demolished business property and destroyed stock | At least 60 million shekels ($19 million) |
| Ibrahim Ahmaro, vegetable shop | Spoiled goods alone | More than 50,000 shekels ($16,200) |
Israel’s finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, justified the demolitions as “establishing deterrence and exacting a price”.
Analysis
Adnan al-Natsha, vice president of the Hebron Chamber of Commerce, said businesses could not operate because workers could not reach their workplaces. Closures, displacement, demolitions and shop shutdowns had worsened an already difficult economic situation. He said on 26 October that the chamber was compiling damage statistics for businesses and homes and had no comprehensive total.
Economic expert Ali Oweiwi said factories and shops depend on roads to bring in supplies and distribute products. Restrictions therefore affect factories, retailers, suppliers, transport businesses, workers and consumers.
Al Jazeera’s 25 October account said Hebron accounts for about 40 percent of Palestinian industrial output and 30 percent of exports. Economic researcher Ahmed Abu Qamar said disrupted supplies and transport could raise production costs and cause businesses to miss delivery deadlines.
In a separate 26 October account, Al Jazeera said schools had moved online and Hebron’s universities had made similar arrangements for their 18,000 students until the operation ends. The lockdown affects nearly one million Palestinians in the city and wider district.
Israeli soldiers closed Fawwar refugee camp’s entrance gate on 24 October, preventing residents from entering or leaving even on foot. Nearly 8,000 Palestinians live there, including students dependent on remote classes. Abdel Fattah Al-Ttitti, a schoolteacher living in the camp and working in Hebron, said residents might be able to reach a clinic in Masafer Yatta, but described it as poorly equipped and unable to help in a medical emergency.
Palestinian authorities in Hebron declared a state of emergency and formed a crisis group bringing together government agencies, businesses and civil society to help displaced residents. Local homeowners also opened properties to families who fled.
Mayor Yousef al-Jabari said on 24 October that Hebron and several neighbouring villages were under a complete blockade. In its 25 October account, Al Jazeera said the Israeli military expected the operation to last several days.
On 25 October, the military announced a full closure of crossings into and out of the occupied West Bank for 27 October, the day of Israel’s parliamentary election.
Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, had confirmed the mayor’s earlier estimate of about 2,200 displaced people. Katz told public broadcaster Kan that residents would not be allowed to return until the military finished dealing with what he called “all the Hamas issues in Hebron”, DW said on 25 October. The 27 October account repeated that condition.
Turk called on 26 October for displaced residents to be allowed home. He said Israel must provide compensation and reparation for unlawful evictions and demolitions, and the displacement associated with them.
The temporary order follows destruction begun after a deadly checkpoint attack; a petition challenges the demolitions under international and Israeli law.
8 min
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