Israeli occupation forces continued their aggression against the city of Hebron for an eighth consecutive day, maintaining a tightening siege and sealing off all entry and exit points as military reinforcements and engineering units deployed to the Deir Bahha area west of the city, conducting house raids and forcing additional families to flee their homes.
According to eyewitnesses, occupation forces brought in further military reinforcements accompanied by engineering units from the northern entrance of Hebron near the Farsh al-Hawa area toward Deir Bahha, which has been under strict siege and closure since last Friday.
As part of the escalation, forces raided the home of Hamouda al-Ja’ba whom the occupation, along with Ahmed al-Ja’ba, accuses of carrying out a shooting attack in the Farsh al-Hawa area last week. The forces began excavation and demolition work inside the house while compelling more families living in the area to forcibly evacuate their homes.
The incursions extended to several neighborhoods in Hebron and the village of al-Rihiyya to the south. In one instance, occupation forces detained three individuals including a former prisoner released just this past Thursday targeting them because of the celebratory reception his family had held for his release. The forces assaulted and mistreated the detainees.
These actions coincide with the total closure of all entrances and exits to Hebron, a stringent siege on the al-Jalda and Deir Bahha areas, and daily raids on homes—during which property is frequently vandalized all of which are severely exacerbating the humanitarian and living conditions for the local population.
537 Families Under the Strain of Displacement and Siege
According to official data, the number of families forced by the occupation to flee the al-Jalda and Deir Bahha areas has reached 537 comprising 3,361 individuals while hundreds of other families remain trapped in their homes, denied freedom of movement and access to humanitarian aid.
Data from the Support and Relief Committee, commissioned by the Governor of Hebron, reveals the scale of humanitarian needs among the affected families. The group includes 232 infants, 1,193 children aged between 2 and 17, 326 elderly individuals, 147 pregnant or nursing women, 32 people with disabilities, and 213 individuals suffering from chronic illnesses.
In response to these needs, the committee has received 531 calls via its toll-free assistance hotline. It has worked to follow up on these cases in coordination with relevant institutions and has established specialized subcommittees to handle relief, housing, education, legal affairs, media, and financial matters.
Economic Paralysis and Disruption of Education
The repercussions of the aggression have extended beyond displacement and siege, severely impacting the economic and educational sectors.
The Hebron Chamber of Commerce estimates that direct losses resulting from the closures range between 10 and 12 million shekels per day with the dairy sector alone accounting for approximately one million shekels of that total.
In the educational sector, the aggression over the past week has disrupted schooling for approximately 262,000 students across 589 schools in the Hebron Governorate. Meanwhile, thousands of students in besieged or displaced areas remain unable to reach their schools due to ongoing closures and military measures.
Source: Palestinian media (edited and translated by Al-Manar)