Hebron closure displaces nearly 4,000 as army searches 500 buildings

The number of Palestinians forced from their homes in Hebron since Friday reached about 3,971 on Monday, 26 October, from 619 families, WAFA and the city's relief committee said; 266 families had no safe place to stay. The displaced include about 200 children under two and 137 pregnant women.

Hebron Governor Khaled Dudin counted 128 closed gates and 120 checkpoints across the governorate. The Israeli army said troops had scanned more than 500 buildings and found an underground passage about 15 metres deep next to one gunman's home. It put the number displaced at about 3,000.

Some homes were turned into military posts. One resident, Ramadan al-Hashlamoun, told The New Arab his household of ten had been split up and his house marked with four X signs. Medical Aid for Palestinians said the measures raise grave concerns about ethnic cleansing and collective punishment.