The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, warned this Friday that the closure decreed by Israel over the West Bank is "severely" restricting the access of the Palestinian population to their means of livelihood.
In statements transmitted by his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, the highest official of the United Nations indicated that "we are very concerned about the escalation of violence that we are witnessing in the West Bank (and) about the widespread closures imposed by Israel on the Palestinian community in the West Bank."
As Dujarric explained in a press conference, these measures "severely restrict the freedom of movement of Palestinians, as well as their access to basic services and their means of livelihood."
The Portuguese leader also expressed his concern about the demolition of homes in Hebron and the evacuation of its residents announced during the day by the Israeli authorities, and reiterated his condemnation of the "violence provoked by the record number of attacks carried out by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in 2026."
Guterres reminded Israel that, in its capacity as "occupying power," it has the obligation to "protect the Palestinian population from such attacks and to hold the perpetrators accountable."
His statements come after the Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, communicated that security forces will evacuate entire neighborhoods of the city of Hebron and proceed to demolish a "wide row" of homes in this locality.
"The model of the Jenin refugee camp is coming to Hebron," Katz stated after the shooting that occurred this morning in the area, in which two Israeli soldiers were killed and three others were injured by gunfire from two Palestinians who were subsequently shot dead.
The Israeli Army reported the death of the two alleged attackers, identified as Mohamad Yaaba and Firas Yaaba, both 27 years old and residents of Hebron.
For his part, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured that the neighborhood of Hebron where the attackers lived will be "destroyed" and announced that a "large-scale operation in the West Bank, the largest since Israel captured the territory in 1967," is being prepared. "The Army is ready to carry it out; we will determine the timing, but it is underway," he emphasized.