Israeli forces launched a major raid on the southern West Bank city of Hebron on Sunday, as the entire occupied Palestinian territory starts 2026 facing massive Israeli settler and military violence, as well as land grabs.
The Israeli military said the operation “is expected to last for several days” and will “dismantle terror infrastructure sites, eradicate illegal possession of weapons and enhance security in the area”, echoing raids carried out in the north of the West Bank since the Gaza war began in October 2023.
These operations, in cities such as Jenin and Tulkarm, have led to entire residential areas being razed and thousands of residents displaced, followed by a full military occupation of these neighbourhoods.
Hebron, one of the West Bank’s most important cities and historically a centre of Palestinian resistance, has experienced less violence than other parts of the territory since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war, although the hills surrounding it have been the scene of high levels of settler violence.
Hebron’s Old City is home to one of Israel’s most radical settler communities, situated by the Ibrahimi Mosque, a holy site for Muslims and Jews. At the beginning of the month, Israel approved the construction of a roof in the Jewish area of the site, after expropriating a section of the compound for Israeli ownership, adding to tensions at the site.
The military said its operation would focus on the Jabal Johar area. Israeli forces have so far closed off several neighbourhoods in the south of the city, installed metal gates and concrete blocks to restrict movement and raided homes, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. Seven Palestinians have been detained, including a 13-year-old boy.
Elsewhere in the occupied West Bank, activists have been sounding the alarm over settler campaigns to take land. Last week, 11 European nations and the EU called on Israel to halt the “forcible transfer” of the Bedouin community of Ras Din Al Auja in the Jordan Valley, another hotspot of settler violence since the October 7 attack.
In areas around Jerusalem, Israel is set to start construction next month on a road that will fragment the West Bank in a way that critics say will end the prospect of a viable Palestinian state.
A Palestinian state alongside Israel has long been seen by most of the international community as the preferred way to end the Israel-Palestine conflict.
