Al-Ja'bari: 2,200 Hebron residents homeless after Israel seals West Bank
Palestinian Authority demands international intervention after overnight raids displace thousands and cut off 800,000 residents in Hebron.
By Chloe Kapoor ·
Families in Hebron found their doors blocked and loudspeakers blaring evacuation orders late Friday night. By Saturday, the city was sealed off, leaving 2,200 residents without homes and 800,000 people in the surrounding governorate cut off from the outside world.
Hebron Mayor Yousef al-Ja'bari confirmed the displacement figures, noting that hundreds of Israeli military raids occurred since Friday. The operations followed an ambush on an Israeli army reserve base where two Palestinian gunmen killed two soldiers. Both gunmen were also killed in the exchange.
Residents described a chaotic exit, with soldiers using loudspeakers to announce orders in the middle of the night. Al-Ja'bari said that by Saturday, the city was effectively closed, preventing people from entering or leaving. The military continued operations on Saturday, including bulldozing homes and vehicles near the Farsh al-Hawa checkpoint. During that operation, soldiers fired a stun grenade at journalists documenting the scene.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a full lockdown of the West Bank in response to the attack. Correspondents reported raids in at least 15 areas, spanning from Jenin and Nablus in the north to Bethlehem in the south. The Palestinian Prisoners' Society reported that forces arrested approximately 70 people during these sweeps.
The Palestinian Authority, which administers the West Bank, characterized the military response as collective punishment. Citing home demolitions and the siege of cities, the PA urged the international community to apply pressure on Israel. Hamas released a statement claiming that the escalation by the occupation and settlers would fuel further outrage.
The timeline places the crisis three days before Israeli parliamentary elections on October 27. Al Jazeera correspondent Nour Odeh noted that politicians are leveraging the attack to influence voters. She pointed out that Netanyahu and his Likud party trail in current polls, prompting a push to project strength against the Palestinian population.
When asked about the future of the Palestinian Authority, Netanyahu avoided a direct answer. He stated that a big surprise awaits the organization, leaving officials and residents in Hebron to wait for further developments under the ongoing siege.
Source: Al Jazeera
