Families in Hebron have been forced to leave their homes in the middle of the night with only the clothes on their backs, marked by black X symbols painted on abandoned doors. Al Jazeera reported that residents were ordered to vacate al-Jalda Square until further notice following a military siege that began after two Israeli soldiers were killed at a nearby checkpoint on October 23.

According to UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees cited by Al Jazeera, nearly 5,000 Palestinians have been displaced in just over a week. The agency has described these measures as collective punishment in violation of international law.

Background

Al Jazeera reported that Hebron, the occupied West Bank's largest city, has been under strict siege with restrictions extending across a governorate of approximately 800,000 Palestinians since October 23. Soldiers have converted some evacuated residences into military outposts.

Data from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), as detailed by Al Jazeera, shows that between 2009 and the start of the siege, Israeli forces demolished 2,491 buildings and displaced 3,534 Palestinians in the Hebron governorate. Across Area C and occupied East Jerusalem, OCHA noted that the monthly average of demolitions since 2024 has been at least double that of the preceding 15 years, largely driven by a restrictive permit system.

In Masafer Yatta, a cluster of 13 communities in the South Hebron Hills, OCHA and Al Jazeera records show about 400 structures have been demolished over 15 years, displacing 969 Palestinians, with nearly half of those demolitions occurring since January 2025. Roland Friedrich, UNRWA’s West Bank director, stated that the current events carry alarming echoes of mass displacement seen in the northern occupied West Bank in early 2025, when operations emptied the Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams refugee camps.

UNRWA reported that more than 34,000 Palestinian refugees from those northern camps remain displaced following Israel's "Iron Wall" operation, which began in January 2025 and destroyed more than half of their residential buildings. OCHA demolition records further indicate that 1,399 buildings were demolished in the Jenin and Tulkarem governorates between 2009 and October 2026, displacing 4,139 people, though these figures primarily track permit-related or punitive demolitions rather than damage from military raids.

Why it matters

For readers observing global human rights and international law, the continuous displacement of communities and the destruction of residential areas highlight ongoing challenges regarding housing rights and humanitarian conditions in the region. The reports from UN agencies underscore the severe humanitarian impact faced by thousands of families displaced from their homes.