Hebron Mayor Jaabari Says City Locked Down, 2,200 Residents Removed

Israeli forces closed all entrances to Hebron on Friday, and Mayor Yousef Jaabari said roughly 2,200 Palestinians were driven from their homes in Deir Bahala, al-Jalda and nearby neighborhoods. He said no one can enter or leave the city and called the closures collective punishment following a shooting at the Farsh al-Hawa checkpoint west of Hebron. Two soldiers were killed and three others wounded in that incident, according to an account of the shooting Friday morning.

Jaabari said soldiers gave families five minutes to leave. The area covered about 330 dunams and contained more than 490 housing units. The Palestinian Information Centre reported that Israeli forces detained at least 40 Palestinians Saturday evening and demolished businesses and residential buildings.

The municipality arranged shelter for displaced residents and opened a crisis hotline, Jaabari said. "We are now monitoring every detail and have declared a state of emergency to meet their needs," he said.

The Ibrahimi Mosque was shut after Friday's shooting, and its staff and custodians were removed, the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs said. Jaabari said no prayers are held there and that Israel has banned the call to prayer. The mosque is administered by Palestinians and used as a mosque for more than 1,400 years, and Israel has restricted Muslim worship and limited the call to prayer in recent months.

Jaabari questioned the timing of the closures, accusing far-right members of the Israeli government of trying to "use Hebron and its Ibrahimi Mosque, its residents and their homes, as free election publicity for certain ministers contesting elections in the coming days". The Palestinian Information Centre reported that demolition of buildings and detentions continued Saturday evening.