LONDON: Israeli forces forcibly displaced Palestinian families from their homes in Hebron in the southern West Bank on Thursday, despite declaring their withdrawal from the city on Monday following 11 days of military operations.
Soldiers raided the Abu Sneineh neighborhood in the south of the city, stormed a six-story residential building, forced the people living there to leave and turned it into a military outpost, the Palestinian Wafa news agency reported.
One of the residents, Kefah Abu Sneineh, said: “The building houses approximately 50 people, including women, children, patients and elderly people, who were left without shelter.”
Israeli troops also forcibly evicted Majed Jaber and his family of 10 from their home during a raid in the Jaber neighborhood of the city, and converted the property into a military barracks, the news agency said.
The incidents took place days before thousands of Israeli settlers were expected to flock to the city on Saturday for the Jewish religious celebration of Chayei Sarah, also known as “The life of Sarah,” commemorating the death of Abraham’s wife.
Israeli forces have been active in Hebron since an attack on Oct. 23 in which two soldiers were shot and killed. More than 4,000 people were displaced from their homes during the 11-day military siege that followed, before troops declared their withdrawal earlier this week. Many residents reportedly returned to their homes to find them damaged or demolished.
