World

Hebron Lockdown Forces Nearly 5,000 Displaced, 780 Families Evacuated

By Mohamed Alzanin

An Al Jazeera data investigation shows that almost 5,000 people have been displaced in Hebron after Israel’s military siege began on Friday, October 23. The lockdown, which has sealed the city at ten identified entry points, has forced 4,969 residents out of their homes, including 441 elderly people, 336 infants under two, 312 chronic‑disease patients, more than 200 pregnant or nursing women, and 44 people with disabilities. The displaced population includes 780 families, about 2 % of Hebron’s 250,000 residents.

Hebron Mayor Yousef al‑Jabari told Al Jazeera that thousands of citizens were forced out and that the city is facing a “severe, massive siege and collective punishment.” He added that the city is “facing a severe, massive siege and collective punishment.”

The siege began after two Palestinians shot two Israeli soldiers dead and injured three others in Hebron. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered security forces to close Hebron and prepare for a full lockdown across Judea and Samaria. Defence Minister Israel Katz said Palestinians would not be allowed to return until Hamas’s “infrastructure” is dismantled. The army said the operation aims to “thwart terrorism” by searching, arresting suspects, and confiscating weapons.

The municipality notes that the targeted eviction zone covers 0.35 sq km (49 football pitches) and houses more than 500 families, at least 2,500 people. Of the tracked families, 283 are staying with relatives and 266 are in locations classified as unsafe. Most displaced families have sought refuge with relatives or host families in nearby neighbourhoods such as Issa; none have used official shelter centres, and only 23 families secured rented homes.

Israeli forces have surrounded the city by closing ten entrances ranging from 2.4 km to 7.6 km from the centre, including Halhul, Nabi Yunus, Ras al‑Jora, Beit Einun, Bir al‑Mahjar, Jabal Juhar, al‑Fahs, Qalqas, al‑Harayiq, and Dura. The closed military operations zone lies about 2 km west of the city centre, covering at least 0.29 sq km.

During the first two days, forces demolished a three‑apartment building in Farsh al‑Hawa, targeted a ceramics company and car parts shops, and bulldozed about 7,000 sq m of land. Families were evicted from al‑Jalda and Ein Deir Bahha around midnight on Friday. Israeli forces also converted several homes into military barracks and raised Israeli flags on them.

Over the first six days, the Israeli military arrested about 110 Palestinians, including seven children, people with special needs, and dozens of former prisoners. Three women were arrested; two were released and one remains under interrogation at al‑Mascobiyeh detention centre. Eight relatives of the two gunmen who killed the soldiers are held in interrogation centres. Hundreds of citizens have been subjected to field interrogations during raids, accompanied by beatings and abuse, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society.

The army has searched more than 500 sites in the city and claims to have found a 15‑metre deep underground pit containing an electronic device near an attacker’s home, though the property owner denies this.

The Hebron Chamber of Commerce and Industry estimates daily commercial losses at 12 million shekels (about $3.8 million). Factory production capacity has fallen by 40–60 %, according to vice‑president Adnan al‑Natsheh. The governorate hosts about 3,500 industrial facilities, including plastics, dairy, and gold workshops. Commercial truck movement has halted. Demolitions in Farsh al‑Hawa alone caused damage of more than two million shekels (about $640,000). In September, the Hebron governorate faced 272 attacks, 122 by Israeli settlers, and 19 demolition operations that leveled 91 structures, making it the most targeted governorate in the West Bank for demolitions.