World

Hebron Under Siege for Ten Days as Israeli Forces Demolish Homes and Shut Businesses

By Al Jazeera Staff

Israeli forces have maintained a siege on the West Bank city of Hebron for the tenth consecutive day, threatening to broaden their offensive and displacing more Palestinian families. The lockdown followed an attack on October 23 near Hebron that killed two Israeli soldiers. According to the local municipality, more than 3,300 Palestinians have been displaced or affected, with homes destroyed and businesses shut. Mayor Yousef al‑Jabari told Al Jazeera that daily economic losses were estimated at over 12 million shekels ($3.8 million), including more than $1.9 million in infrastructure damage and about $160,000 in health and environmental losses. He said Israeli forces have demolished 15 homes and other structures and forced 327 businesses to close. He added that roughly 80,000 students have been unable to attend school for ten days. The mayor described the siege as “collective punishment” and noted that Hebron accounts for about 40 percent of the Palestinian economy. Palestinian families in and around the city fear that the army could soon extend its attacks.

Israeli arrests of Palestinians in Hebron and other West Bank cities continued on Sunday. Israeli forces arrested 10 Palestinian teachers in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, and seized their vehicle, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. Video shared by Palestinian media and verified by Al Jazeera showed the Israeli military raiding a school run by the United Nations in the Shufat refugee camp in occupied East Jerusalem.

The United Nations humanitarian office, OCHA, said Israeli settlers carried out 397 attacks on Palestinians across the occupied West Bank in October, the highest monthly figure since monitoring began in 2006, Wafa said. Between October 20 and 26, settler attacks targeted 49 Palestinian communities, mostly while Palestinians were harvesting olives on their land. Nine children were among 57 Palestinians injured by settlers and Israeli forces: 34 by military gunfire and physical assaults and 23 in settler attacks.

Since the start of 2015, Israeli authorities have issued 9,518 demolition or stop‑work notices against Palestinian property in the occupied West Bank, reported the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission. The Palestinian government commission added that 344 of those notices were given in the first nine months of this year.