Hebrew residents begin returning to homes after week-long Israeli operation
Around 3,300 Palestinians have gone back to their Hebron homes following a ten-day Israeli military assault that left extensive damage to residences and infrastructure.
About 3,300 Palestinians have returned to their homes in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, after more than a week of forced displacement caused by a ten-day Israeli military operation. The operation, which began after two Israeli soldiers were killed on Oct. 23, saw Israeli forces clear the Ein Deir Bahha and al-Jalda neighbourhoods, forcing hundreds of families out with only limited belongings.
Hebron Governor Khaled Dodin announced on Monday that Israeli troops had withdrawn, allowing residents to access their properties. Many found homes damaged by demolition, vandalism and other tampering. Municipal council member Muammar al-Awiwi said the affected zones also suffer from power outages and intermittent water supplies.
Residents described the experience as traumatic. Fahd Ahmaro, whose family was displaced across four neighbourhoods, said, "We were driven out of our homes and houses. Words cannot describe what happened. We were in an unbearable hell, and all of that fell upon us suddenly and without prior notice and without any right."
Samer Mujahid, who lived near the al-Jalda roundabout, recounted that soldiers gave his family ten minutes to leave and threatened violence if they did not comply. He said a soldier warned, "If I return to you after 10 minutes and you have not left, I will break your legs."
The Support and Relief Committee has deployed a field team to assess damage to public and private property. The municipality estimates direct economic losses of more than 12 million shekels per day (about $3.8 million), with infrastructure damage exceeding 6 million shekels ($1.9 million) and additional losses in health and environmental sectors.
Al-Awiwi told Al Jazeera, "The tragedy is great. Some residents returned and cannot live in their damaged homes as a result of the bombing or deliberate sabotage by the occupation army, such as destroying furniture, bedrooms and bathrooms."
The siege also led to the demolition of 15 facilities, including three homes, the closure of at least 327 shops and the interruption of education for roughly 80,000 students.