Israel's siege of Hebron displaces nearly 5,000, mayor decries 'collective punishment'

Al Jazeera's analysis, drawing on municipal data and human rights groups' statistics, places the number of displaced people at 4,969, across 780 families. The displaced population represents about 2% of the city's 250,000 residents. The displaced include 441 elderly people, 336 infants under two years old, 312 patients with chronic diseases, more than 200 pregnant or nursing women, and 44 people with disabilities.

The operation began on Friday, October 23, after two Palestinians shot two Israeli soldiers dead. The attackers were killed by Israeli forces. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on social media that he had ordered security forces to close Hebron and prepare for a full lockdown across what he called Judea and Samaria. 'We will act to destroy this place, to change it completely,' he said.

The Israeli army said the operation aims to 'thwart terrorism' through searches, arrests and weapons confiscation. Defence Minister Israel Katz said Palestinians would not be allowed to return to their homes until Hamas's 'infrastructure' is dismantled. However, the Israeli news site Ynet, cited by Al Jazeera, quoted the army as saying that the search for weapons has had 'limited accomplishments' and that keeping residents away for a prolonged period faces 'legal difficulties.'

Forces closed off 10 entrances to the city, between 2.4km and 7.6km from the centre. In the Farsh al-Hawa area, a three-apartment residential building was demolished, a ceramics company and car parts shops were targeted, and approximately 7,000 square metres of land were bulldozed. Families in the al-Jalda and Ein Deir Bahha neighbourhoods were evicted on the night of October 23, ordered to leave via loudspeakers.

Hebron Mayor Yousef al-Jabari told Al Jazeera that thousands had been forced from their homes. In a statement to Anadolu, he said the city was 'facing a severe, massive siege and collective punishment.' The mayor told Al Jazeera on October 24 that about 2,200 people were displaced; Al Jazeera said the number had more than doubled in two days.

The Palestinian Prisoner's Society (PPS) reported that approximately 110 Palestinians had been arrested across the governorate over the first six days of the operation, including seven children. Hundreds of citizens were subjected to field interrogations accompanied by beatings and abuse, the PPS said. The military searched more than 500 sites.

The Hebron Chamber of Commerce and Industry estimates daily commercial losses at 12 million shekels (about $3.8 million). Factory production capacity has fallen by 40 to 60 percent, according to estimates by Adnan al-Natsheh. Commercial truck movement has completely halted.

The Israeli army claimed to have discovered a 15-metre-deep underground pit containing an electronic device near an attacker's home. The property owner denied the claim, saying it is a sewage cesspit situated more than 100 metres from the residences of the two gunmen.