UN warns of ethnic cleansing as thousands displaced in Hebron

United Nations Human Rights Chief Volker Türk warned on Monday that an aggressive Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Hebron raises serious concerns of ethnic cleansing, UN News reported. Hebron has been subjected to military raids, blockades, home demolitions, and forced displacement after a shooting attack on Friday that killed two Israeli soldiers, according to UN News and Al Jazeera. The two Palestinian suspects were also killed in the incident, Al Jazeera reported. [1][2]

Estimates differ on the exact scale of the forced displacement. UN News said that the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, is supporting local authorities in Hebron to assist more than 3,000 people evacuated by Israeli forces since Friday. Al Jazeera reported that about 2,500 people have been forced out of the city, with several Palestinian homes converted into military barracks and posts. The Palestinian Prisoner's Society stated that Israeli forces have detained at least 47 Palestinians across Hebron since Friday, according to Al Jazeera. [1][2]

The United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory reported on Monday that Israeli authorities and military forces are committing crimes against humanity in the West Bank, including extermination, torture, and rape, Al Jazeera reported. The military actions follow an earlier seal-off of Hebron by Israeli forces, as FTMQ World reported previously. [4][16]

The military operation coincides with upcoming Israeli elections. Middle East Eye and Euronews reported that an Israeli military spokesperson announced on social media that all land crossings into the occupied West Bank will be closed to Palestinians on election day, Tuesday. Palestinian workers are also barred from entering all Israeli settlements in the territory from Sunday through Tuesday, Middle East Eye reported. [3][6][11]