Palestinians forcibly displaced by Israeli army rally in Hebron, demand return home

Dozens of Palestinians forcibly displaced by the Israeli army rallied Friday in the southern occupied West Bank city of Hebron, demanding to return to their homes as Israeli raids and closures continued for an eighth consecutive day. The protesters, including women, children and elderly people from displaced families, gathered near Al-Jalda Square, which remains closed off by Israeli forces, an Anadolu correspondent reported. They called for an end to the military closure and forced displacement and demanded access to their homes in the Al-Jalda and Ein Deir Baha areas.

Israeli forces continue to seal off the two areas while raiding and damaging Palestinian homes. The military campaign began last Friday following an attack by two Palestinians that killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others. The Israeli army later killed the two Palestinians. Since then, Israeli forces have imposed closures on Hebron and surrounding villages and seized Palestinian homes in Al-Jalda and Ein Deir Baha, converting them into military posts.

The raids have included incursions into residential neighborhoods, closures of city entrances and orders forcing Palestinian families from their homes. During the first days of the campaign, homes, commercial properties and infrastructure were also demolished or damaged, while Israeli flags were raised over some homes seized for military use. Hebron Municipality said Tuesday that 4,969 Palestinians from 780 families had been displaced by the continuing Israeli campaign.

The Palestinian Prisoner Society said Israeli forces arrested 110 Palestinians across Hebron governorate between Friday and Wednesday. Military closures have also disrupted in-person education at 66 schools, affecting 2,872 students. Of those, 2,198 students are living under direct closure, while another 674 are from forcibly displaced families and have been unable to reach their schools. The displaced families are demanding that Israeli forces lift the closures and allow them to return to their homes and resume their daily lives.