HEBRON, West Bank / PNN /
An ongoing Israeli military operation in Hebron has displaced 537 Palestinian families, comprising 3,361 people, and disrupted education for hundreds of thousands of students across the governorate, local officials said Thursday, as daily economic losses reached an estimated 10 million to 12 million shekels ($2.8 million to $3.4 million).
At a news conference at the Hebron governorate headquarters, officials outlined the growing humanitarian, economic and educational toll of the operation, now in its seventh day. They described emergency relief efforts for displaced residents, mounting damage to businesses and infrastructure, and legal and diplomatic initiatives aimed at addressing the impact of the restrictions.
The affected areas include al-Jaledeh, Ain Deir Baha and Farsh al-Hawa. Hebron Gov. Khaled Dudin said the targeted area covers approximately 3.5 square kilometres and contains about 615 families. Of those, 537 families have been forced to leave their homes, including children, pregnant women, older people and patients who face difficulties accessing health care and other essential services.
The operation also disrupted schooling for about 262,000 students across 589 schools in the governorate during the past week, Dudin said. Thousands of students in besieged and displaced communities remain unable to reach their schools.
Dudin said 19 foreign ambassadors and representatives had been briefed on developments. The governorate plans to establish support and relief committees in municipalities across Hebron, while ministerial teams will assess damage to infrastructure and private property once the military operation ends and access to the affected areas becomes possible.
Emergency aid for displaced families
Hebron Mayor Yousef al-Jaabari said the municipality activated an emergency plan in the early hours of the operation, deploying staff and equipment to assist affected families. The municipality has provided free electricity charging for homes in the targeted areas and worked to maintain water supplies.
It has also prepared a database and detailed maps of areas threatened with evacuation. Al-Jaabari said the municipality had contacted United Nations agencies, embassies and consulates, and sent documentation of events in Hebron to more than 600 municipalities worldwide.
Sufian al-Muhtaseb, head of the relief and support committee appointed by the governor, said the committee had registered 537 affected families, totalling 3,361 people. They include 232 infants, 1,193 children aged between 2 and 17, 326 older people, 147 pregnant or breastfeeding women, 32 people with disabilities and 213 people with chronic illnesses.
The committee received 531 requests for assistance through the emergency number 115 and coordinated responses with relevant organisations, al-Muhtaseb said. Specialised teams have been established to handle relief, accommodation, education, legal affairs, media and financial coordination.
Relief supplies distributed so far include 755 food parcels, 501 mattresses, 378 pillows, 650 bundles of bread, 300 hygiene parcels for women, 200 parcels for children, 200 cleaning-supply parcels and 250 toy kits for children. The committee also provided essential supplies and medicines worth more than 15,000 shekels, he said.
The committee has begun contacting local and international human rights organisations to prepare potential legal action over Israeli measures, al-Muhtaseb added. He said 2,872 students had been directly affected in the targeted areas, including 674 who had been displaced and 2,198 who remained under siege.
Businesses face mounting losses
The operation has also inflicted a heavy toll on Hebron's economy. Adnan al-Natsheh, deputy head of the city's chamber of commerce, estimated direct losses caused by closures at between 10 million and 12 million shekels a day, including about 1 million shekels in the dairy sector alone.
Hundreds of industrial and commercial businesses have been affected, he said. In the Farsh al-Hawa area, 13 businesses had been damaged, most of them reportedly through vandalism, land clearance or demolition.
Restrictions on the movement of workers and goods threaten production and supply chains across the Palestinian territories, al-Natsheh warned.
Ahmad al-Qawasmi, head of the Hebron Businessmen Forum, said private-sector institutions continued to contribute to relief efforts. Work has begun to compile lists of vacant homes that could provide alternative accommodation for displaced families if the restrictions persist and residents cannot return to their homes.
He praised community initiatives, particularly efforts to secure housing for affected families, and said private-sector organisations, unions and industrial associations were prepared to provide further assistance based on the relief committee's needs.
Officials warn of forced displacement
Amjad al-Qasrawi, secretary of Fatah's central Hebron branch, described the Israeli measures as collective punishment and forced displacement. He warned of threats to Hebron's Old City, the area surrounding the Ibrahimi Mosque and neighbourhoods adjacent to Israeli settlements.
He said Fatah would continue supporting affected families and helping residents remain in their communities, while praising the work of the relief committee, official and civil society institutions, private businesses and grassroots initiatives.
The news conference concluded with a commitment by the governorate, municipality, relief committee and partner organisations to continue providing assistance to displaced and besieged families, pursue legal and international efforts, assess damage and prepare for residents to return to their homes when conditions allow.
