3,171 Palestinians Displaced as Hebron Lockdown Enters Fourth Day

Hebron has remained under Israeli military lockdown since Friday, when two gunmen opened fire at a checkpoint in the city’s northern entrance. The attack killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered troops to isolate the city and search the gunmen’s neighborhood house by house. He stated that the military would act to destroy the area and change it completely.

By Monday, the fourth day of the closure, Hebron Municipality data cited by the Wafa news agency reported that at least 3,171 Palestinians from 488 families had been forced from their homes. Defense Minister Israel Katz said residents would not be allowed to return until the military finished addressing Hamas issues in Hebron. Hebron Governor Khaled Dudin noted that forces had searched more than 500 homes, arrested more than 70 people, and blocked the city with 128 closed gates and 120 checkpoints. The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said the displaced group includes 127 infants, 81 pregnant women, and 26 people with disabilities.

Destruction in the Farsh al-Hawa neighborhood included the razing of a three-apartment building belonging to Riyad Amrish, a tile factory, and an auto-parts shop. Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich ordered the demolitions. The Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem described the operation as collective punishment that could constitute war crimes.

Sieges have also expanded to other parts of the West Bank. In Masafer Yatta, the family of Yusuf Shanaran has been under a three-week siege by settlers. In Madama, south of Nablus, residents emerged from a two-week blockade of the village’s four entrances. The Israeli army barred Palestinian workers from entering settlements on Sunday and Monday and closed all crossings on election day.

The olive harvest has drawn heavy attacks. The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission counted 482 attacks on the harvest across nine governorates by Sunday. Settlers stole olives and equipment in at least a dozen villages and assaulted farmers in at least 15 locations. In Burqa, settlers burned dozens of olive trees and set fire to a memorial and the home of Palestinian-American Jamal Bajes. Soldiers uprooted hundreds of trees in Madama and posted notices in Khirbet Abu Falah ordering more trees removed for a security buffer zone.

In Gaza, the Ministry of Health recorded 11 deaths and 35 wounded on Monday, bringing the toll since the October 2025 ceasefire to 1,559 killed and 5,608 wounded. The cumulative death toll since the conflict began stands at 74,555. Hunger worsened as crossings remained shut, with flour stocks depleting and a tray of eggs reaching a price of 60 shekels. Commercial goods resumed flowing into the territory on the evening of October 23, according to the private sector’s emergency committee.