Israeli forces turn Hebron homes into military posts amid lockdown

As a military operation in the southern occupied West Bank continues, the Palestinian news agency Wafa has documented, israeli forces have turned Palestinian homes in the city of Hebron into barracks and observation posts after forcing residents to leave.

Key points

• While forcibly displacing 293 families, comprising concerning 2, 200 individuals, according to the Palestinian Prisoner's Society, Israeli forces have detained at least 47 Palestinians throughout Hebron since Friday.
• Among those displaced from Hebron are 127 infants, 81 pregnant women and 26 individuals with disabilities, the NGO informed Al Jazeera.
• Israeli settlers began establishing two new outposts on Palestinian-owned land in the town of Yatta, south of Hebron, Wafa documented.
• Israeli troops additionally conducted hundreds of field interrogations, subjecting Palestinians to detention and abuse, the group stated.
• The evictions follow the forced displacement of hundreds of families against the backdrop of extensive raids, road closures and tight restrictions on movement.

They took over homes in the Khallat Manna and Dahiyat al-Zaytoun areas of southern Hebron to employ them as barracks, and forced residents from homes in other neighbourhoods to apply the properties as observation posts, Wafa noted, citing sources.

For context, the Israeli military has imposed a lockdown in Hebron and conducted hundreds of raids since two armed Palestinian men allegedly carried out an attack on an Israeli army reserve base on Friday, killing two soldiers. The two suspects were additionally killed.

Meanwhile, the evictions follow the forced displacement of hundreds of families against the backdrop of extensive raids, road closures and tight restrictions on movement.

Among those displaced from Hebron are 127 infants, 81 pregnant women and 26 individuals with disabilities, the NGO informed Al Jazeera. The displaced additionally include 134 Palestinians with chronic illnesses and 265 elderly residents over the age of 60.

Meanwhile, Israeli settlers began establishing two new outposts on Palestinian-owned land in the town of Yatta, south of Hebron, Wafa documented.

Activist Osama Makhamra informed Wafa that settlers began setting up an outpost in the Khallet al-Fara area, west of Yatta, where they pitched a tent, brought in bulldozers and excavation machinery, and kicked off levelling and digging the land in preparation for construction.

He continued that another outpost was established in the Yatta desert area, on Palestinian-owned land between the villages of az-Zuweidin and Umm Qussa, where settlers pitched a number of tents and began installing infrastructure, including water and electricity networks.

Near Bethlehem, Israeli forces continued to close roads and entrances throughout the governorate for the third consecutive day on Sunday, affecting a number of towns and villages, Wafa documented.

On Saturday, Israeli forces shut down dirt roads leading to Tuqu to block access, firing tear gas canisters and stun grenades towards Palestinian vehicles travelling along rough alternative routes near the town.

In practice, the latest attacks and closures come days before Israel's general elections and as tensions remain high throughout the occupied Palestinian territory, where settlers, backed by the military, have carried out a wave of pogroms targeting olive harvesters.

For now, israeli forces turn Hebron homes into military posts amid lockdown remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.