Israeli forces have turned Palestinian homes in Hebron into barracks and observation posts after evicting residents, as a military lockdown and raids continue across the southern occupied West Bank.
Homes in the Khallat Manna and Dahiyat al-Zaytoun areas of southern Hebron were reportedly taken over for use as military barracks. Residents in other neighbourhoods were also forced to leave while troops occupied their properties as observation posts.
The measures followed an alleged attack on an Israeli army reserve base on Friday, in which two soldiers were killed. The two Palestinian men suspected of carrying out the attack were also killed.
Israeli forces have since imposed a lockdown on Hebron and carried out hundreds of raids, alongside road closures and restrictions on movement. The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said at least 47 Palestinians had been detained across the governorate since Friday.
The organisation said 293 families, comprising about 2,200 people, had been forcibly displaced. Those affected included 127 infants, 81 pregnant women, 26 people with disabilities, 134 people with chronic illnesses and 265 people aged over 60.
It also said Israeli troops had conducted hundreds of field interrogations, during which Palestinians were subjected to detention and abuse.
New settler outposts south of Hebron
Israeli settlers have meanwhile begun establishing two outposts on Palestinian-owned land near Yatta, south of Hebron.
Activist Osama Makhamra said an outpost was being set up in the Khallet al-Fara area, west of Yatta. A tent had been erected, while bulldozers and excavation machinery were used to level and dig the land in preparation for construction.
A second outpost was reportedly established in the Yatta desert between the villages of az-Zuweidin and Umm Qussa. Several tents were put up and work began on infrastructure including water and electricity networks.
Roads and entrances across the Bethlehem governorate also remained closed for a third consecutive day on Sunday, affecting towns and villages in the area. On Saturday, Israeli forces shut dirt roads leading to Tuqu and fired tear gas and stun grenades towards Palestinian vehicles using rough alternative routes.
The closures and evictions come amid heightened tensions across the occupied Palestinian territory, days before Israel’s general election and during a period of attacks by settlers against olive harvesters, with the backing of the military.
