Hebron Sealed Off: 3,171 Evicted as Israel Votes

At least 3,171 Palestinians from 488 families were forced from their homes in Hebron by Monday, the fourth day of a military closure in the West Bank city. The displacement followed a shooting incident at a checkpoint that killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others on Friday. After the gunmen were killed, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the city isolated and directed troops to conduct house-to-house searches in the affected neighborhood.

Defence Minister Israel Katz stated that residents would not be allowed to return until Israeli forces finished dealing with Hamas in Hebron. Hebron Governor Khaled Dudin reported that soldiers searched more than 500 homes, arrested over 70 people, and sealed the city with 128 closed gates and 120 checkpoints. The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society noted that among the displaced were 127 infants, 81 pregnant women, and 26 people with disabilities.

Destruction accompanied the eviction orders. Bulldozers razed a three-apartment building belonging to Riyad Amrish, along with a tile factory, an auto-parts shop, and other businesses in the Farsh al-Hawa district. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich ordered these demolitions, according to Channel 12. The Israeli NGO B’Tselem described the operation as collective punishment that could constitute war crimes.

These actions occur while Israelis prepare for a national election. The siege of Hebron is part of a wider pattern of restrictions across the West Bank. In Wadi al-Rakheem, the family of Yusuf Shanaran has been besieged by settlers for three weeks. In Madama, south of Nablus, residents are emerging from a two-week blockade of the village’s four entrances, though heavy restrictions remain at the northern entry.

Military controls also affected commerce and labor. The Israeli army barred Palestinian workers from illegal settlements on Sunday and Monday and planned to close all crossings on election day. In Bethlehem, roads were closed for several days, and twelve communities in Masafer Yatta were cut off for periods, preventing approximately 50 teachers from reaching their schools.

Violence also intensified during the annual olive harvest. The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission counted 482 attacks on the harvest by Sunday across nine governorates. These incidents included theft of equipment, assaults on farmers, and the uprooting of trees. In Burqa, settlers burned dozens of trees and set fire to a memorial site. In Immatin, masked settlers drove tractors down a hillside to destroy equipment and olives.

The conflict has also drawn international attention. United States congressional candidate Brad Lander was among 80 volunteers detained near Nahalin on Wednesday. Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused him of harvesting headlines. Meanwhile, in Gaza, at least 37 Palestinians were killed in the last week, including three security guards at the Islamic University and a child near Khan Younis. Flour stocks in Gaza ran low before an Egyptian committee delivered supplies on October 23.