Israeli forces have forced nearly 4,000 Palestinians from their homes in Hebron since Friday, leaving hundreds of families displaced as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly rejected military advice to end the operation in the southern occupied West Bank.
The number of displaced Palestinians reached around 3,971 on Monday, according to figures reported by Palestinian news agency WAFA. This includes approximately 200 children under the age of two, at least 258 elderly people and 137 pregnant women.
Riyad Khamis, spokesperson for Hebron’s Follow-up, Support and Relief Committee, said 619 families had been affected, including 266 unable to find safe accommodation.
More than 80 Palestinians have been arrested, while hundreds of others have been detained and interrogated, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club. Israeli troops have also raided and ransacked hundreds of homes, leaving residents unsure when they will be allowed to return.
Hebron's Governor Khaled Dudin reported that Israeli authorities established 128 gates and 120 checkpoints across the southern governorate, saying that it fragments the area and severly restricts movement as well as access to healthcare and basic services.
The Israeli operation followed a shooting attack on Friday in which two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint near Hebron. Israeli forces killed both gunmen.
Netanyahu subsequently ordered the evacuation of residents from the neighbourhood where the attackers lived ahead of house-to-house searches. The ensuing assault has extended to Palestinian homes, businesses and industrial facilities.
In a statement issued on Monday, Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) warned that these actions "raise grave concerns about ethnic cleansing and collective punishment".
"Palestinians in Hebron are being driven from their homes and cut off from healthcare and basic supplies," Aseel Baidoun, MAP's Deputy Director of Advocacy and Communications, said. "This is collective punishment. People are being punished simply for being Palestinians."
A home turned into a military outpost
For Ramadan Faisal al-Hashlamoun, a 47-year-old Palestinian displaced with his family, the uncertainty centres on a house he says Israeli soldiers have turned into a military outpost.
Speaking to The New Arab, Hashlamoun said troops entered his home and took it over because it overlooks the main road. He has been unable to return since.
His household numbers 10, including children, the youngest of whom is aged 12. The family has been split apart since residents were ordered to leave the entire area, he said.
"You can only feel at ease in your own home," he told The New Arab.
Hashlamoun said neighbours had heard the sound of objects being smashed inside his house, leaving him deeply worried about the condition of his belongings, including money, gold and other personal possessions. Unable to enter, he has no way of checking what has happened to them.
He also said Israeli forces had marked four X signs on the exterior walls of the house – a mark that has since been circulating in images across social media on multiple houses whose inhabitants had been forcibly displaced.
Israeli occupation forces mark several Palestinian homes with "X" signs in the Ein Deir Bahha neighborhood of Hebron, south of the occupied West Bank, after forcibly displacing their owners. https://t.co/3lNmvZ4yO7
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) October 24, 2026
At the time of the interview, his family had received no aid or essential supplies, although Hebron Municipality had contacted them. He told The New Arab that his immediate concerns were the separation of his family and the uncertain fate of their home.
Local relief officials said on Monday that a first batch of aid and basic supplies was being distributed to displaced and affected families. Hundreds of other residents remained trapped inside homes in neighbouring areas, according to WAFA.
Israeli forces have sealed off the neighbourhoods of Deir Baha and al-Jilda, where much of the displacement has taken place, while imposing closures at entrances to Hebron and surrounding towns and refugee camps. The restrictions have disrupted movement and access to homes, businesses and services.
A staff member at a MAP local partner in Hebron described the sudden incursion, saying it was "unexpected to see this kind of mass forced displacement" where residents including persons with disabilities, pregnant women, and children "left their homes carrying whatever they could. A lot of those who were displaced are elderly people with chronic illnesses, meaning there is a need for medicines as well."
Netanyahu reportedly rejected an end to the operation
The sudden displacement of thousands of residents comes as Israeli media reported that Netanyahu had rejected Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir's recommendation to end the operation, despite being told its objectives had been 'achieved' and there was no justification for continuing to prevent residents from returning home.
Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported on Monday that Zamir had recommended ending the operation, telling Netanyahu during a situational assessment on Sunday that its objectives had been met.
According to Kan’s reporting, Zamir said there was no operational justification for continuing the raid and no legal justification for keeping displaced Palestinians from their homes.
Netanyahu nevertheless insisted that the operation continue despite the military having wanted to announce as early as Saturday night that the operation was winding down.
The reported disagreement emerged a day before Israel’s general election, as displaced Palestinian families remained unable to return.
“Across the West Bank, we are living in high uncertainty, especially with Israeli elections this week; there is no safe place due to the situation deteriorating day by day," MAP's staff member said.
"We are wondering if this will last days, weeks, or months. People are worried about forced displacement and it's becoming a real fear, especially when looking at what happened in Jenin and Tulkarem in the past couple of years. We are losing trust in the international community."