The number of Palestinians who have had to leave their homes in the surroundings of the West Bank city of Hebron has increased this Monday to 2,649, in the context of the military operations launched by the Israeli Army as retaliation for the attack recorded last week in the area, in which two Israeli soldiers were killed by two Palestinians who were shot dead.
Local authorities have detailed that Israeli forces have already installed nearly 120 military checkpoints in the region, while incursions, the deployment of troops, the reinforcement of sieges, and the confiscation of vehicles are intensified, according to information released by the Palestinian newspaper 'Filastin'.
The governor of Hebron, Jaled Dudin, has denounced that Israeli forces are "deliberately destroying homes and intimidating residents" and has accused them of having established "interrogation centers on the ground." "They have detained more than 70 citizens to date, highlighting the harassment and abuses suffered by the inhabitants of the governorate," he stated.
Eyewitnesses have claimed to have seen Israeli soldiers opening fire on civilian vehicles during these operations, which, as Dudin has warned, have forced the displacement of at least 450 families, more than 2,300 people, solely in the areas of Deir Baha and Al Jalda.
In addition, searches have been carried out in more than 500 homes, which has contributed to the fragmentation of the governorate and to limiting the freedom of movement of the population, which claims that these areas have been left "blocked."
On the other hand, authorities have indicated that during the past month of September, at least 272 attacks perpetrated by Israeli forces and settlers were documented in the governorate of Hebron, of which 122 were attributed to settlers. In that same period, 19 demolitions were carried out affecting 91 facilities, making Hebron the governorate in the West Bank with the highest number of destroyed infrastructures in that interval.
During the weekend, the mayor of Hebron, Yusef al Yaabari, warned that the Israeli military operation sought to provoke the departure of another 2,500 people from their homes in two additional neighborhoods of the city, the same ones where the alleged attackers resided, identified as Mohamad Yaaba and Firas Yaaba. The Israeli Army estimates that there are about 2,000 members of the Yaaba clan in the area and links this family group to the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).
The Israeli Armed Forces then indicated that they have allowed civilians who "have requested evacuation" to leave the area, always through military checkpoints and after a thorough security search and interrogation. They also emphasized that the operations would extend over several days.
Israeli authorities maintain that the demolished buildings were erected illegally in Area C of the West Bank, under exclusive Israeli control and where building permits have not been granted for years.