Palestinians protest Israeli military demolitions in Hebron
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on TimesLIVE
Palestinians protested in Hebron against demolitions and displacement carried out by the Israeli army, which used a stun grenade to disperse the gathering. More than 3,000 residents are said to have been driven from their homes since the operation began, according to TimesLIVE citing the UN.
Palestinians protested in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, on Tuesday against an Israeli military operation that has displaced thousands of residents. Israeli soldiers fired a stun grenade to disperse the gathering, the army said, in order to continue the operation.
On Monday, the United Nations said that more than 3,000 Palestinians had been forced to leave their homes. The operation is targeting neighbourhoods near a checkpoint where two Israeli soldiers were killed by Palestinian gunmen on Friday. The Israeli army announced on Sunday that demolitions would take place in the area, while saying that searches of homes had found no weapons.
Since the attack, Israel has blocked the entrances to most Palestinian cities and localities in the West Bank, restricting movement. Noura Nassar, a displaced resident who came to protest, said she had faced difficulties obtaining medical care because of the blockades.
The UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, described collective punishment as a serious violation of international law and said threats to empty and erase entire neighbourhoods raised serious concerns about ethnic cleansing. The protests took place on the day of Israel’s national election. The Israeli army had announced a military operation in the West Bank, while a report published on 25 October said that 2,000 Palestinians had been displaced by the army.
