A week of Israel’s lockdown in Hebron: What’s happened, when will it end?

What the report says

Israeli forces have kept Hebron under a military lockdown for a seventh consecutive day, according to Al Jazeera’s reporting from 29 October 2026. The operation began after a shooting attack in the area last week that killed two Israeli soldiers near the settlement of Telem, after which the Israeli army closed entrances to the city and expanded raids across the occupied West Bank’s largest urban centre.

Al Jazeera reported that the closure has sharply restricted movement, cut access to services and displaced more than 3,000 people. It said Palestinian homes were taken over for military use, while demolition activity continued in parts of Hebron. The report also described injuries and detentions during the sweep, including Thursday’s incidents in which two Palestinians were hurt and seven were detained. On Wednesday, Israeli settlers allegedly attacked Palestinian residents and three foreign journalists near Hebron.

The crackdown has also spread beyond the city. Al Jazeera said villages and hamlets in Masafer Yatta were isolated, leaving residents unable to reach markets and some patients unable to access hospitals. It also reported damage to farmland, including uprooted trees and destroyed wells. Palestinian groups, UN officials and rights organisations cited in the article described the measures as collective punishment and warned about wider displacement, while Israeli leaders framed the operation as a security response.