THE number of Palestinians displaced by Israel’s army in Hebron has reached at least 2,670, according to Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa’s office.
The ‘majority’ of the displaced are women, children, and elderly people, it said in a post.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) continued their military blockade on Palestinian areas of al-Khalil governorate in the southern West Bank for the third consecutive day, amid various violations.
IOF operations escalated on Sunday as Israeli forces stormed the towns of Halhul, as-Samu, Idhna, and Tarqumiyah, as well as the Sanjar area and the southern part of al-Khalil city, amid tight restrictions on the movement of Palestinian residents and vehicles.
According to local sources, the Israeli army has imposed a sweeping lockdown on al-Khalil City (Hebron) and the areas around it, effectively isolating the city from neighbouring towns and villages through military checkpoints and road closures.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces continued to raid homes across al-Khalil governorate, assaulting, detaining, and interrogating dozens of local residents.
Since the start of the large-scale Israeli operation last Friday, Israeli forces have forcibly displaced around 1,500 Palestinians in the Deir Baha and al-Jalda areas of al-Khalil.
Palestinian officials warn that Israeli plans are underway to displace an additional 2,500 residents from these two areas of al-Khalil, which are home to roughly 500 families and cover an area of about 350 dunums.
More than 200 families have been displaced by Israeli forces in al-Khalil, with several families forced to spend the night in the open after being driven from their homes, local officials reported.
Israeli forces have marked evacuated homes and distributed notices ordering additional families to leave their homes without taking their vehicles in the areas of Deir Baha and al-Jalda, raising concerns over a possible expansion of the Israeli displacement campaign in the governorate.
Al-Khalil mayor Yousef al-Jaabari said that the Israeli army intends to displace around 2,500 residents from the Deir Baha and al-Jalda areas.
The al-Khalil municipality has declared a state of emergency and opened temporary shelters for displaced families.
Municipal officials also convened an emergency meeting with representatives from public institutions, civil society organisations, and other concerned parties to assess the impact of the Israeli operation and coordinate immediate humanitarian relief.
As part of the demolition campaign, the Israeli army demolished an apartment building in the Farsh al-Hawa area of western al-Khalil.
It also razed commercial facilities and stores, seized homes, and converted them into military posts and barracks for its troops.
IOF raids have also happened in the towns of Dura, Halhul, Beit Ummar, Bani Na’im, and Surif, as well as al-Fawwar and al-Arroub refugee camps, amid road closures.
Israeli airstrikes kill 3 at Gaza University
Three Palestinians were killed and others were injured on Sunday in two separate Israeli airstrikes that targeted the campus of the Islamic University of Gaza, south west of Gaza City.
The deadly strike occurred shortly after an Israeli drone targeted a gathering of students on campus, injuring at least five people, some of them critically.
Following the attack, the Islamic University announced the suspension of administrative and academic activities at its Gaza branch on Sunday.
The attack underscores the ongoing perils facing Gaza’s educational institutions, which have endured years of relentless bombardment and widespread destruction.
In a related context, 10 schoolchildren and one teacher were killed in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip between October 18th and 24th, according to the ministry of education in Gaza.
The ministry highlighted the death of eight-year-old Fatima al-Biyouk, who succumbed to wounds she sustained after being shot by Israeli forces east of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.
Fatima was the sole survivor of her family after its members were killed in an airstrike on their home in late 2023.
