Approximately 1,200 Palestinians have been compelled to vacate their residences in Hebron, located in the occupied West Bank, according to a Palestinian official. The non-governmental organization Palestinian Prisoners' Club further reported that roughly 70 Palestinians were arrested over the course of Friday and Saturday.
Residents of the area informed Reuters that Israeli forces carried out expulsions, with soldiers marking homes with a black X after the occupants were forced to leave. The specific meaning behind these markings remains unclear. Yousef Zouhair Al-Jabari, the head of Hebron's municipality, stated that beyond the 1,200 individuals already displaced, an additional 1,300 residents face the threat of losing their homes.
Al-Jabari linked these actions to the parliamentary elections scheduled for Tuesday, suggesting that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition is attempting to secure votes from illegal settlers as opinion polls indicate a potential loss of their majority. Amnesty International has issued a warning that the upcoming elections must not distract from Israel’s international crimes, calling for continued scrutiny and accountability regarding these actions.
The Palestinian Authority has condemned the incidents as a form of “collective punishment” and is urging international bodies to intervene. In a statement, the Palestinian foreign ministry emphasized that the rising threats of forced displacement and property destruction necessitate urgent international action that extends beyond mere condemnation to include tangible, deterrent measures. Meanwhile, across the occupied West Bank, Israeli authorities have restricted access to the majority of Palestinian cities and towns, significantly limiting the freedom of movement for the local population. The current Israeli government has overseen a rapid expansion of settlements, which are considered illegal by the United Nations and the majority of countries worldwide.
