Hebron Under Siege: Israel Chokes City with 10 Blockades, Forcing Thousands to Flee

An Israeli soldier gestures towards a Palestinian man during a protest of Palestinian residents against their displacement from a neighbourhood, amid ongoing Israeli military operations, in Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, October 27, 2026 [Mussa Qawasma/Reuters]

Nearly 5,000 people have been displaced due to Israel’s military siege on Hebron, a city in the southern West Bank, an investigation by Al Jazeera has revealed. As the lockdown, which has sealed off 10 identified entry points into the city, enters its second week, the number of individuals forcibly removed from their homes has reached 4,969. This displaced population includes vulnerable individuals: 441 elderly people, 336 infants under two years old, and 312 patients with chronic diseases. Additionally, over 200 pregnant or nursing women and 44 people with disabilities are among those affected. Al Jazeera’s analysis of municipal data and statistics from human rights groups indicates that 780 families, approximately 2 percent of Hebron's 250,000 residents, are currently displaced.

Hebron Mayor Yousef al-Jabari stated to Al Jazeera Net, “Thousands of citizens were forced out of their homes, and the world watched children crying after midnight.” He further described the situation to Anadolu agency as a “severe, massive siege and collective punishment.” The number of displaced people has more than doubled since October 24, when Mayor al-Jabari reported approximately 2,200 individuals had been displaced.

‘We will act to destroy this place’

The military siege commenced on Friday, October 23, following an incident where two Palestinians fatally shot two Israeli soldiers and injured three others in Hebron before being killed by the army. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on social media that he had ordered security forces to impose an immediate and “full lockdown across all of Judea and Samaria [the Israeli term for the occupied West Bank].” He proclaimed, “We will act to destroy this place, to change it completely.”

The Israeli army stated that the operation's objective is to “thwart terrorism” through searches, suspect arrests, and weapons confiscation. Defence Minister Israel Katz indicated that Palestinians would not be permitted to return to their homes until Hamas’s “infrastructure” is dismantled. However, the Israeli news site Ynet quoted the army acknowledging “limited accomplishments” in the search for weapons and citing “legal difficulties” with the prolonged displacement of residents.

The municipality reported that the targeted eviction zone covers 0.35 square kilometres (0.14 square miles), an area housing over 500 families comprising at least 2,500 individuals. Conditions for the displaced remain precarious; among the tracked families, 283 are staying with relatives and 266 are in locations deemed unsafe by the municipality. Al Jazeera’s findings show that most displaced families have sought refuge with relatives or host families in nearby neighbourhoods such as Issa. No one has sought refuge in official shelters, and only 23 families have managed to secure rented homes.

Cordoning off a city

Al Jazeera’s analysis indicates that Israeli forces have surrounded Hebron by closing off 10 entrances. These blockades are located between 2.4km (1.5 miles) and 7.6km (4.7 miles) from the city centre and include Halhul, Nabi Yunus, and Ras al-Jora to the north; Beit Einun to the northeast; and Bir al-Mahjar to the northwest. The eastern and southern parts of the city are blockaded at Jabal Juhar, al-Fahs, Qalqas, al-Harayiq, and Dura. The military operations zone is situated approximately 2km (1.2 miles) west of the city centre, covering at least 0.29sq km (0.11sq miles).

In the Farsh al-Hawa area, at the city’s western entrance, Israeli forces demolished a three-apartment residential building on October 23 and 24. They also targeted a ceramics company and car parts shops, and bulldozed approximately 7,000 square metres (75,000 square feet) of land. Families were also evicted from the al-Jalda and Ein Deir Bahha neighbourhoods around midnight on Friday, October 23, after Israeli forces ordered residents to leave via loudspeakers. During the initial two days of the operation, forces reportedly converted several homes into military barracks and raised Israeli flags on them, according to Anadolu.

Raids, arrests and interrogations

Over the first six days of the operation, the Israeli military arrested approximately 110 Palestinians across the governorate, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS). Among the detainees are seven children, individuals with special needs, and numerous former prisoners. Israeli forces also arrested three women, releasing two while detaining the third for interrogation at the al-Mascobiyeh detention centre. Furthermore, eight relatives of the two Palestinian gunmen involved in the initial incident remain in military custody and are undergoing interrogation.

Beyond formal arrests, hundreds of citizens have been subjected to field interrogations during military raids. The PPS reported that these interrogations, conducted in public spaces, at checkpoints, and within homes, have been accompanied by severe beatings and abuse. The military has searched over 500 sites in the city. The Israeli army claims to have found a 15-metre- (50ft-) deep underground pit containing an electronic device near an attacker’s home, a claim denied by the property owner. The owner stated the excavation is a sewage cesspit for an area lacking infrastructure and that the property is not linked to the gunmen and is located over 100 metres (330ft) from their residences.

Economic paralysis

The Hebron Chamber of Commerce and Industry estimates daily commercial losses at 12 million shekels (approximately $3.8m) due to the siege. Factory production capacity has decreased by 40 to 60 percent, according to Adnan al-Natsheh, vice president of the Chamber. The governorate hosts around 3,500 industrial facilities, including plastics and dairy producers, and 70 percent of the Palestinian market's gold workshops. Commercial truck movement has completely halted. The demolitions in Farsh al-Hawa alone have resulted in damages exceeding two million shekels (about $640,000). This escalation adds to a significant existing burden across the occupied West Bank, where the Hebron governorate faced 272 attacks in September, including 122 by Israeli settlers, and 19 demolition operations that destroyed 91 structures, making it the most targeted governorate for demolitions in the West Bank.