Israeli army turns Palestinian homes into military posts in West Bank city of Hebron

Israeli forces turned Palestinian homes into barracks and observation posts after forcing residents to leave the city of Hebron on Saturday, day two of a military operation in the southern occupied West Bank, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. Troops took over homes in the Khallat Manna and Dahiyat al-Zaytoun areas of southern Hebron to be used as barracks, official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported, citing sources.

They also forced residents from homes in other neighborhoods and used the properties as observation posts, said sources. The evictions follow the forced displacement of hundreds of families since Friday, amid extensive raids, road closures, and tight restrictions on movement. Near Bethlehem, Israeli forces blocked dirt roads leading to the town of Tuqu and fired tear gas and stun grenades toward Palestinian vehicles traveling along rough alternative routes, Wafa reported, citing Palestinian security sources.

The agency said ongoing closures across Bethlehem and surrounding towns and villages left Palestinians depending on unpaved roads to travel between communities. Israeli forces sealed off Hebron and nearby Halhul on Friday after two Palestinians attacked an Israeli checkpoint. Two Israeli soldiers were killed and three others wounded, while Israeli forces killed both attackers, according to Israeli figures. The army announced Friday that its operation could last several days, involving house searches, interrogations, and efforts to locate weapons and “terrorist infrastructure.”

The occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, has seen escalating Israeli military attacks and occupier violence since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023. The attacks have included killing and detaining Palestinians, demolishing homes and other structures, burning mosques and vehicles, bulldozing farmland, preventing farmers from accessing their fields, and displacing Palestinian communities, alongside illegal settlement expansion.