Hebron governor says Israeli forces withdrew after 10-day siege
Hebron Governor Khaled Dudin said on Monday that Israeli forces have left the whole city after a 10-day operation. Displaced families can now return, he said.
- Governor Khaled Dudin said Israeli forces withdrew from all of Hebron on Monday.
- The operation began on October 23 after two Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack.
- More than 3,300 Palestinians were displaced or affected, according to local authorities.
- Hebron's mayor put daily economic losses above 12 million shekels.
Hebron Governor Khaled Dudin announced on Monday that Israeli forces have withdrawn from the entire West Bank city of Hebron, ending a 10-day siege, according to Anadolu Agency and Al Jazeera. Arab News, citing a military official, also reported that the Israeli army had withdrawn after concluding the operation.
Dudin said Palestinian security forces have taken full control of the area. He said families forced out of their homes can now return. "Relevant authorities and Palestinian security forces are monitoring developments on the ground and working to provide the necessary conditions for residents to return safely," Dudin said.
The Israeli army launched the operation on October 23, after a shooting attack by two Palestinians killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others. Israeli forces later killed the two attackers. During the operation the city and surrounding villages were closed.
According to the Hebron Governorate, more than 3,300 Palestinians were displaced or otherwise affected, particularly in the Al-Jalda and Ein Deir Baha areas. Israeli forces seized homes in those areas and turned them into military posts. The governorate said 15 homes and other structures were demolished.
Hebron Mayor Yousef al-Jabari told Al Jazeera on Saturday that daily economic losses exceeded 12 million shekels ($3.8m). He said 327 businesses were forced to close and about 80,000 students could not attend school for 10 days. He said Hebron accounts for about 40 percent of the Palestinian economy.
Economist Yousuf Daas of the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute said business owners reported losses of up to $20m from destroyed stock, facilities, shops and workshops. He said these were small and medium family-owned businesses, usually uninsured and still carrying bank loans, so owners lose the business but keep the debt.
Elsewhere in the West Bank, OCHA said settlers carried out 397 attacks on Palestinians in October, the highest monthly figure since monitoring began in 2006.
Why it matters
Palestine is a core issue for Pakistanis and the wider Muslim world, so readers follow developments in the West Bank closely.
