Hebron siege: Palestinians evacuate amid fears of Gaza Scenario in the West Bank

The Israeli military actions in the city of Hebron do not appear to be merely a security operation. They follow a shooting carried out on Friday by two Palestinians, Ahmd and Hamouda Al-Jabari, from the Ain Deir Bahha neighborhood, which resulted in the killing of two Israeli soldiers and the wounding of others.

Israel has imposed a siege on the city, forcing hundreds of families to evacuate their homes, and has threatened to demolish buildings and facilities. This raises Palestinian fears that the operation may become a new model of population pressure and reshaping the geographical reality in the West Bank, similar to what happened in Gaza during the war.

Meanwhile, there are no clear guarantees regarding the residents’ return to their homes.

Evacuation of neighborhoods and closure of the city's entrances

At dawn on Saturday, Israeli army forces began forcing residents of neighborhoods in western Hebron, particularly Deir Bahha and Al-Jalda, to leave their homes, coinciding with the continued closure of the city's entrances and the imposition of strict movement restrictions. The Hebron Municipality stated that about 1,500 Palestinians from 250 families have been forced to flee since Friday, warning that around 2,500 more people could be displaced in the coming hours as the scope of the military operation expands.

According to Palestinian reports, forces reinforced with military vehicles and bulldozers stormed the areas of Deir Bahha, Al-Jalda roundabout, and Nimra, raiding and searching homes, while marks were placed on buildings whose residents had been evacuated. Hebron Governor Khaled Dudin told Agence France-Presse that about a third of the city was affected by the Israeli measures, describing what is happening as collective punishment of residents who have no connection to the operation.

The Israeli army said it is carrying out what it described as precise and targeted searches, which will continue for several days, without providing details about the final geographic scope of the operation or the fate of the residents who were forced to leave.

In statements to i24NEWS, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he would work to neutralize what he described as the threat, adding that a "very big surprise" awaits the Palestinian Authority, in remarks that raised questions about the nature of Israel's upcoming actions in the West Bank.

According to statements by Palestinian activists, the army distributed maps to residents listing around 150 buildings and homes. It informed them of the need to gather their belongings and evacuate the area. They indicated that the forces opened corridors for residents to leave, amid reports that some residents were beaten and arrested during the evacuation and raid operations.

In parallel, the Palestinian Prisoners Club documented around 70 arrests across various governorates of the West Bank from Friday until early Saturday morning. Some of the detainees were released, while arrests and field interrogations continue.

The Palestinian government warned of the escalation of Israeli operations in the West Bank, describing them as an assault targeting the Palestinians, their land, and their resources. It held the Israeli government responsible for the consequences of the escalation, and called on the international community to intervene to stop the operations in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Fears of a repeat of the Gaza scenario

In Hebron, concerns are not limited to the expansion of the military operation, but also extend to the possibility that the evacuation could turn into a prolonged displacement, in the absence of a clear timetable for the residents' return.

According to municipal council member Khaled Al-Natsheh, Hebron has started preparing facilities to receive displaced families, including the Childhood Happiness Complex, which has a theater and a garden. However, it is still not equipped to accommodate the expected numbers, which has prompted the municipality to look for alternative locations in cooperation with local institutions and families who have opened their guest rooms to receive the displaced.

Al-Natsheh added that the municipality has not received an official notice specifying the duration of the operation, but testimonies from families forced to leave indicated that soldiers mentioned it would last ten to fifteen days, while residents quoted other soldiers as saying that returning would not be possible in the near future.

The councilmember also pointed out that attempts by the Palestinian liaison to obtain information regarding the scope and duration of the siege did not yield clear answers, noting that, according to local testimonies, the military movements have exceeded the areas specified in the maps published by the army.

With the city’s entrances closed, the municipality declared a state of emergency and began preparing for the possibility of continued and expanded displacement. Its efforts include searching for shelter centers, communicating with the International Committee of the Red Cross regarding the possibility of transferring patients from besieged areas, and working to deliver food to families who remain inside.

Residents facing open displacement

According to Palestinian reports, the Israeli measures in Hebron began with the demolition of a house belonging to the Imreish family in the Farsh al-Hawa area, which had witnessed the shooting incident. Later, commercial facilities for storing tiles and building materials were also demolished, along with kiosks along the road leading to the northwestern entrance of the city.

Adnan Al-Tamimi, one of the residents who was forced to leave, said that Israeli forces stormed his family’s home after midnight on Friday and forced about 20 people living in a three-story building to evacuate it, before turning it into a military post and raising Israeli flags over it.

As for Samir Skaafi, who lives in the same area, he said that evictions have started in the western neighborhoods of Ain Deir Bahha, while his family is still waiting to find out whether their home will be included in the decision. He explained that residents who initially refused to leave found themselves facing successive raids on their homes, which eventually ended with the owners being forced out.

These statements, according to the concerns of residents and the municipality, reflect a crisis that goes beyond immediate evacuation to the issue of return, especially if the process is accompanied by the demolition of buildings, their conversion into military sites, or the imposition of prolonged restrictions on access to the affected neighborhoods.

Security and political calculations that go beyond the operation

Observers believe that the developments in Hebron may have implications that go beyond the military response to the shooting incident, in light of escalating Israeli policies in the West Bank and the internal debate regarding the government's ability to provide security, with the approach of the Israeli elections scheduled for October 27.

In an analysis of the potential objectives, analysts believe that the Israeli moves can be understood within overlapping paths, starting with expanding control over land and not ending with causing demographic and geographic changes through internal displacement and pressure on the population.

This overlap between security and political considerations raises questions about whether the measures in Hebron will remain limited in time and geography, or if they will turn into a broader approach that includes other areas of the West Bank, especially in light of Israeli statements mentioning additional steps that have not yet been disclosed.

In light of the ongoing siege and the lack of clear information regarding when the operation will end, the key questions remain tied to the fate of the families who were forced to flee, the possibility of their return to their homes, and the extent of destruction that the area might witness. These questions put Hebron to a test that goes beyond the immediate results of the military operation, encompassing its demographic, geographic, and political repercussions on the future of the West Bank.