Israeli forces continue West Bank raids as Hebron lockdown enters sixth day

The Israeli army has continued its incursions into Hebron as its lockdown of the occupied West Bank’s largest city entered its sixth day.

Israeli forces raided several neighbourhoods in Hebron city as well as towns across the wider governorate on Wednesday, tightening restrictions at the entrances to the city, Anadolu news agency reported.

Troops also raided the Fawwar refugee camp south of Hebron about midnight, searching several Palestinian homes.

The Israeli army carried out raids in other areas across the occupied West Bank, detaining four Palestinians in Tulkarem, the Wafa news agency reported.

Those detained included a journalist and his two brothers, alongside an officer working for the Palestinian General Intelligence Service.

In the town of Beita, south of Nablus, troops fired tear gas at protesters demonstrating against the demolition of two homes belonging to the families of two Palestinian prisoners.

A Palestinian man sustained fractures to his hand after Israeli forces beat him during an attack on the village of Yasid, north of Nablus.

In Burin village, troops raided homes and converted several into military barracks, Wafa reported.

Schools in southern Nablus have been ordered to switch to remote learning to protect students and staff.

‘Alarming echoes’

The raids come a day after the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) expressed “grave concern” over Israel’s continued incursions into Hebron, which have displaced nearly 5,000 Palestinians, warning that “collective punishment” violates international law.

“A near-total lockdown across large parts of Hebron has severely restricted residents’ freedom of movement and their ability to access critical services,” Roland Friedrich, the director of UNRWA Affairs for the occupied West Bank, said in a post on X.

“These developments bring alarming echoes of the massive displacement witnessed in the northern occupied West Bank in early 2025, where more than 34,000 Palestine refugees from Jenin, Tulkarem and Nur Shams camps remain forcibly displaced over a year later.”

Israel’s campaign follows the killing of two Israeli soldiers by Palestinian gunmen at a checkpoint last week. The gunmen were later killed by Israeli forces.

Palestinian officials have accused Netanyahu and his hard-right government of exploiting the operation to secure settler votes before Tuesday’s elections in Israel.