DaysofPal – Israeli occupation forces continued their assault on the city of Hebron in the southern occupied West Bank on Tuesday for a second consecutive day, deploying a heavy military presence, raiding Palestinian homes, and imposing strict measures on residents.
Local sources said Israeli forces sent military reinforcements to several neighborhoods in Hebron, stormed homes, carried out searches, and subjected residents to on-the-spot interrogations. The forces also imposed a curfew in the southern neighborhoods of the city, bringing daily life to a near standstill.
On Monday, Israeli occupation forces authorities announced the launch of a military operation in Hebron that they said would continue for several days, with the participation of the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) and Border Police units.
The operation is focused on the area of Hebron under Israeli control, known as H2 under the Hebron Protocol, particularly neighborhoods surrounding the Old City and the Ibrahimi Mosque.
Tribes from southern Hebron, meanwhile, announced that they would not comply with the demands made by Israeli authorities during the ongoing operation. Sheikh Hamouda Jaber, a community mediator from the southern Hebron area, said Israeli authorities summoned around 25 tribal leaders and reconciliation figures to the so-called Israeli Civil Administration on Monday evening.
Sheikh Jaber said that Israeli officials told the tribal delegates that the military operation in southern Hebron would continue until their demands, including the gathering of weapons purportedly owned by locals and families, were fulfilled.
He stressed that the tribes rejected these demands, saying they fall outside their authority and responsibility, noting that Israel maintains full control over the area.
Israeli forces have continued to impose a tight siege on southern Hebron, restricting movement and enforcing curfews while subjecting residents attempting to secure basic necessities to harassment. Movement has been particularly restricted in areas stretching from Sarsouriya to Jabal Johar and the al-Mukhtar neighborhood, with some areas experiencing power outages.
Local sources documented the arrest of at least 15 Palestinians from southern Hebron on Tuesday, who were transferred to Israeli detention centers.
Israel has escalated military and settler attacks throughout the occupied West Bank since the beginning of its nearly two-year-long genocidal war on Gaza on October 8, 2023. These actions include killings, arrests, displacement, and settlement expansion, a trajectory Palestinians warn is paving the way for the formal annexation of the territory.
At least 1,107 Palestinians have died, almost 11,000 have been injured, and over 21,000 have been arrested in the West Bank during this time, according to official Palestinian statistics.
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