The Palestinian government warned on Saturday that the ongoing Israeli escalation in the occupied West Bank, especially in the Hebron Governorate, will not bring security and peace to anyone, noting that Israel has displaced more than 40,000 Palestinians from their homes in the northern West Bank since the beginning of 2025.
The government clarified in a statement that camps in the northern West Bank and their cities are still suffering from the repercussions of displacement and the demolition of homes and facilities, emphasizing that Israeli collective punishment measures are part of a systematic policy in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Siege of Hebron and Military Operations
In the same context, the Israeli army continued on Saturday to besiege the city of Hebron in the southern West Bank for the second consecutive day, as part of a military operation it launched on Friday, which included forcing dozens of Palestinians to evacuate their homes.
The Israeli army had imposed a closure on Hebron on Friday following an attack by two Palestinians who opened fire on an Israeli checkpoint, resulting in their deaths and the deaths of two Israeli soldiers and injuries to three others, according to Israeli data.
Arrests and Repercussions
This was accompanied by the Israeli army reinforcing the deployment of its vehicles and military bulldozers, closing main entrances and roads leading to the city of Hebron, and conducting raids and searches of homes.
Concurrently, the Israeli army arrested 19 Palestinians on Saturday in scattered areas of the West Bank, including 16 from the Nablus Governorate in the north, two from the Bethlehem Governorate in the south, and one from the Aqaba Jabr camp in Jericho in the east.
Warnings of Annexation
The West Bank has witnessed an escalation in Israeli army attacks and settler terrorism since the start of Israel's genocidal war on the Gaza Strip in October/November 2023, including the killing of Palestinians and the demolition of homes.
Palestinians warn that these measures pave the way for Israel to formally annex the West Bank, undermining the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state in accordance with relevant UN resolutions.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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