Israel maintains Hebron lockdown as settler attacks continue

The Israeli army continued its military lockdown of Hebron on Thursday, marking the seventh consecutive day of the siege in the occupied West Bank’s largest city. According to the Wafa news agency, two Palestinians were injured and seven were detained by Israeli forces during raids on the city.

Simultaneously, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians and their vehicles in the Ras al-Joura area, located near the city’s northern entrance. The operation began the previous Friday after two Israeli soldiers were killed by Palestinian gunmen at a checkpoint near the settlement of Telem. Israeli forces later killed the gunmen in Hebron. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on social media that he had ordered security forces to immediately close Hebron and prepare for a full lockdown across Judea and Samaria. He stated, “We will act to destroy this place, to change it completely.”

Since the siege began, more than 3,000 people have been forced out of the city. This displacement has occurred as several Palestinian homes have been converted into military posts and barracks. All entrances and exits were closed, restricting residents’ freedom of movement and access to critical services. Israeli forces also launched a large demolition operation targeting dozens of Palestinian buildings. In the Ein Deir Bahha neighbourhood, troops forced dozens of families to flee their homes at night without their belongings. Footage from the area showed soldiers beating Hijazi Shawer, a 70-year-old shopkeeper and community leader. Forces also fired tear gas canisters at Al-Ahli Hospital, causing panic among patients and staff.

Settler violence has intensified in surrounding communities. On Wednesday, settlers assaulted three foreign journalists: Andrey Ilyich Khrzhanovskiy, Adele Shoko, and Jasper Nathaniel. Andrey X, also known as Khrzhanovskiy, reportedly lost consciousness and was taken to a police station. He remained detained without receiving medical care. In the Masafer Yatta region south of Hebron, Israeli forces isolated 12 villages and hamlets. This isolation cut off residents and farmers from urban centers and markets. Dozens of patients requiring daily medical care were unable to reach hospitals. In the Khirbet Quwaweis area, forces detained a Palestinian victim of a settler assault. In the al-Kassara area, a young man and a woman were detained following a raid on Monday.

The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society reported that at least 110 people had been detained in the Hebron governorate since the raids began. This group includes three women and seven children. Wafa reported that Israeli settlers uprooted more than 200 fruit trees and destroyed water wells and agricultural facilities east of Hebron. Farmers were also prevented from harvesting olives. Hebron accounts for about 40 percent of Palestinian industrial output and 30 percent of exports.

Palestinian officials have accused the government of exploiting the operation to secure settler votes ahead of Israeli elections scheduled for Tuesday this week. The human rights organization Al-Haq stated that the siege violates international law and amounts to an international crime. It added that the military operation constitutes a prohibited act of aggression. The Israeli NGO B’Tselem described the operation as an act of collective punishment rather than a security measure.

Volker Turk, the UN Human Rights Chief, said that collective punishment is a grave violation of international law. He noted that threats to empty and erase entire neighbourhoods raise serious concerns of ethnic cleansing. Roland Friedrich, the UNRWA director for the occupied West Bank, stated that the developments echo the displacement in the northern West Bank in early 2025. He noted that more than 34,000 refugees from Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams camps remain forcibly displaced over a year later.

Muhammed Shehada of the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor told Al Jazeera that the government’s use of collective punishment has reached new levels. He explained that the tactic is not just about punishing the family of an attacker, but the entire community and city. Shehada argued that the goal is to advance de facto annexation by making life impossible in the West Bank.

Israeli forces are scheduled to maintain the siege until further notice. The next major political event in the region is the Israeli election taking place on Tuesday. Until then, the military presence in Hebron and the surrounding Masafer Yatta region is expected to remain in place.