Around 1,200 Palestinians displaced in occupied West Bank's Hebron as Israel begins military operation

Around 1,200 Palestinians were forced to leave their homes in Hebron in the occupied West Bank on October 24 as Israeli forces continued a military siege for a second day, the head of the city’s municipality said.

The operation came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans for a military action on a scale not seen since Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967. His remarks came days before closely contested elections.

Two Israeli soldiers were killed by gunmen at a checkpoint near Hebron on October 23. The Israeli military said both gunmen were shot dead.

Using the attack as pretext, Israeli forces raided homes, blocked roads and detained dozens of residents for questioning before releasing them, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. Nineteen Palestinians were detained during raids across the occupied West Bank, with some families forced out of their homes in the early hours of the morning.

Hebron municipal head Yousef Zouhair Al Jabari warned that another 1,300 Palestinians faced losing their homes. The Palestinian Authority condemned the Israeli operation as “collective punishment”.

Al Jabari also accused Israeli forces of demolishing shops, factories, houses and roads in Hebron, describing the response as disproportionate and unjustified.

He linked the military operation to Israel’s upcoming parliamentary elections on Tuesday, saying Netanyahu’s actions were driven by political considerations. Opinion polls suggest the prime minister’s right-wing coalition could lose its majority.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced “deep concern” over the rising violence and widespread Israeli-imposed closures affecting Palestinian communities across the occupied West Bank.