Troops occupied homes in the Khallat Manna and Dahiyat al-Zaytoun areas of southern Hebron to use as barracks, and forced residents from other neighbourhoods to vacate their homes for use as observation posts, Wafa reported, citing unnamed sources.
The military has imposed a lockdown on Hebron and conducted hundreds of raids since Friday, when two armed Palestinian men allegedly attacked an Israeli army reserve base, killing two soldiers. The two suspects were also killed, according to reports.
The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society told Al Jazeera that Israeli forces have detained at least 47 Palestinians across Hebron since Friday and forcibly displaced 293 families, comprising about 2,200 people. Among those displaced are 127 infants, 81 pregnant women, 26 people with disabilities, 134 Palestinians with chronic illnesses and 265 people over the age of 60. The organisation said troops also conducted hundreds of field interrogations, during which Palestinians were subjected to detention and abuse.
Separately, Israeli settlers began establishing two new outposts on Palestinian-owned land in the town of Yatta, south of Hebron, Wafa reported. Activist Osama Makhamra told Wafa that in the Khallet al-Fara area, settlers pitched a tent, brought in bulldozers and excavation machinery, and began levelling and digging the land. He said another outpost was set up in the Yatta desert area, where settlers pitched several tents and began installing water and electricity networks.
Near Bethlehem, Israeli forces continued to close roads and entrances for a third consecutive day on Sunday, affecting several towns and villages. On Saturday, forces shut down dirt roads leading to Tuqu and fired tear gas canisters and stun grenades towards Palestinian vehicles using alternative routes.