Hebron Residents Open Their Homes to Thousands Displaced by Israeli Assault

Residents of Hebron in the occupied West Bank are taking in families forced from their homes during an Israeli military operation that began after a deadly attack on a checkpoint. The city's authorities have declared a state of emergency.

The violence started on Friday, when two Palestinians attacked an Israeli military checkpoint in the Farsh Al-Hawa area, killing two soldiers and wounding others. The two gunmen were killed. Since then, Israeli forces have placed Hebron, regarded as the economic capital of the West Bank, under lockdown and announced a wide-ranging assault focused on the gunmen's neighbourhood.

Israeli forces have demolished a three-story building and industrial facilities in Farsh Al-Hawa. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also holds the West Bank portfolio in the Ministry of Defence, said he ordered their destruction. The area is now barely recognisable.

More than 2,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced, according to city officials. They say nearly half are babies and children under 18, and that the group includes 81 pregnant women and 204 elderly people. Fahd Ahmaro said he had intended to stay but left with his family because the women and children were terrified. "We left with nothing but the clothes on our backs," he said, adding that his savings, belongings and documents remain in the house and that returning was no longer safe.

Local authorities have set up a crisis group that brings together government agencies, the private sector and civil society. Riyadh Khamis, a member of the committee, said philanthropists could not accept the idea of displaced Palestinians staying in temporary shelters and opened their own homes. He described Hebron as a city known for social solidarity and generosity, noting it was first to offer aid during the COVID lockdown and during what he called the genocide.

Real estate developer Mohamed Al-Rujoob was among those who acted early. He owns several apartments in Dura, a town near Hebron, and announced they would be available to displaced families, which led other owners to follow. He now houses three extended families, including 30 children. "We must preserve people's dignity," he said, adding that anyone could be in need of shelter tomorrow because all Palestinians live under the same occupation.

The Israeli army says the lockdown covers nearly 1 million Palestinians in the city and the wider district. Schools have switched to online classes, and Hebron's universities have made similar arrangements for their 18,000 students until the operation ends.

Movement is especially restricted in the Fawwar refugee camp, home to nearly 8,000 people. Israeli soldiers closed its entrance gate on Saturday, preventing residents from entering or leaving even on foot. Abdel Fattah Al-Ttitti, a teacher who lives in the camp and works at a Hebron school, said "we are locked in." He said a patient might be taken to a clinic in Masafer Yatta, but it is poorly equipped for emergencies.

Many in Hebron believe the campaign has a political dimension, as Israelis vote in a general election on Tuesday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition is competing for every right-wing vote, and violence against Palestinians has proved a useful campaign tool for figures such as National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Settlement Affairs Minister Orit Strook. Both live in illegal settlements near Hebron and support removing Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza, which they call "encouraging voluntary migration."