Israeli assault on Al-Khalil displaces nearly 5,000 Palestinians as crackdown enters sixth day

Nearly 5,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced as Israeli forces intensify their assault on Al-Khalil for a sixth consecutive day on Wednesday, raiding homes, escalating arrests, and imposing tighter movement restrictions across the southern West Bank governorate. Al-Khalil Municipality said Tuesday evening that 4,969 Palestinians from 780 families had been displaced by the ongoing Israeli offensive. Additional Israeli troops and military vehicles entered towns across the governorate and Al-Fawwar refugee camp around midnight, searching homes and intensifying restrictions.

Media cameras captured Israeli soldiers stopping and searching Palestinians and subjecting them to harsh treatment near the al-Jalda roundabout. The Palestinian Prisoner Society reported that Israeli forces arrested 85 Palestinians in Al-Khalil governorate between Friday and Monday. The offensive began Friday after two Palestinians attacked an Israeli checkpoint, killing two Israeli soldiers and wounding three others. Israeli forces expanded operations into several other governorates.

In Tulkarm, troops arrested journalist Hamza Salama Al-Safi, previously released in a prisoner exchange, along with his brothers Mu’min and Mustafa. In Qalqilya, 11 Palestinians, most of them former prisoners, were arrested following home searches. Israeli troops also raided Tammun, south of Tubas, and Salem, east of Nablus, where homes were searched amid a heavy military deployment. A separate Israeli military raid on Burin, south of Nablus, triggered confrontations with local youths.

According to Quds News Network (QNN), Israeli forces converted six residential buildings and a cafe into military barracks and field interrogation facilities during recent incursions. In Beit Fajjar, south of Bethlehem, Israeli military fired stun grenades and tear gas while deploying troops across several neighborhoods. In Al-Shuyoukh, north of Al-Khalil, four Palestinians picking olives were arrested by the regime forces. They were identified as brothers Abdullah, Abdul Basit and Muhammad Al-Mashni, along with Ayoub Al-Mashni, and were reportedly taken to the Asfir settlement.

In Masafer Yatta, south of Al-Khalil, Israeli settlers assaulted a Palestinian, injuring his face. Israeli forces arrested another Palestinian after settlers attacked him near the village. Movement restrictions were tightened around occupied al-Quds. Israeli forces established a checkpoint near the entrance to Al-Ram on Tuesday night, while troops closed the entrances and exits to Hizma, northeast of the city, preventing vehicles from entering or leaving.

The developments come amid escalating Israeli military operations, arrests and settler violence across the occupied West Bank, including East al-Quds, since Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023. During the last three years, Israeli forces and settlers have killed more than 1,210 Palestinians, injuring around 13,350 others in the occupied West Bank.