Some 1,200 Palestinians displaced in Hebron at the start of a large-scale Israeli military operation

Hebron — The Israeli army forced some 1,200 Palestinians to leave their homes in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, at the start of a large-scale military operation, a Palestinian official cited by Reuters said on Saturday, a day after an attack killed two soldiers.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said on Friday that the army would launch a large-scale operation following the soldiers' deaths, which occurred when two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a military checkpoint near the city. The army said the attackers were killed.

According to the army, the operation in the Al-Jaladah and Ein Deir Baha neighborhoods, near the checkpoint at the entrance to Hebron, aims to search for militants and weapons, and includes demolitions. The Palestinian Authority criticized the operation as “collective punishment.”

Yousef Zouhair Al-Jabari, the mayor of Hebron, said about 1,300 more people faced the prospect of losing their homes, in addition to the 1,200 already displaced. Municipal figures cited by other outlets put the number of displaced people at around 1,600, a difference reflecting that counts are still evolving as the operation continues.

The non-governmental organization Palestinian Prisoners' Club said Israeli forces detained about 70 people between Friday and Saturday, something Israeli authorities have not commented on. The mayor also denounced the demolition of shops, factories, homes and roads, calling the response disproportionate and unjustified.

Hebron residents told Reuters the army expelled many people with no connection to the attackers and that they saw soldiers marking homes with a black “X” after their occupants were forced to leave, with no immediate clarity on what the mark meant. “We ask the authorities to support us because we have nothing to do with this. There are children. We are isolated; we do nothing. All of this is arbitrary,” said Majdi Nasser, one of those expelled.

Israel has also blocked the entrances to most Palestinian cities and towns in the West Bank. The operation comes just days ahead of Israel's general election, according to EFE.

Photo: El Folio

Source: Reuters