The IDF did not give families ample time to pack before they were made to evacuate their homes and has not offered any assurances on whether and when they will be allowed to return, Riyad Khamis, the spokesperson for Hebron’s official Support and Relief Committee, told The Jerusalem Post on Monday.
The IDF has established new checkpoints and evacuated parts of Hebron following a terrorist attack carried out on Friday by Ahmed and Hamouda al-Jabar, two Palestinians from the Ein Deir Bahha neighborhood, which killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded several others.
Sharing data collected on Monday from Ein Deir Bahha, Al-Jilda, Khillet Al-Magharbeh, Farsh al-Hawa, and surrounding areas, Khamis said 407 households, comprising 2,649 people, were affected by the military action.
The figure included 1,109 people under the age of 18, of whom 180 were under the age of two; 218 elderly people; 115 pregnant or postpartum women; 28 people with disabilities; and 162 living with chronic illnesses.
Milena Ansari, the director of the Occupied Palestinian Territory Department at Physicians for Human Rights Israel, told the Post on Sunday that the disruption of routine for the chronically sick and/or disabled might create an emergency.
“People with chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, or cancer depend on regular treatment and medication. These arbitrary closures interrupt that care. Displacement also separates people from their medications, doctors, and medical records,” Ansari warned.
“A condition that could be managed with routine care can quickly become an emergency, which then runs into the same blocked roads, closures, and restrictions on movement. Of course, winter makes every one of these risks even worse,” she added.
Majority of displaced Palestinians have found alternative accommodation
Though the large majority of the displaced Palestinians have found alternative accommodation, with relatives or by renting other homes, Khamis said that 168 households had no available housing options.
“Some families found themselves without safe accommodation or a suitable alternative, and some were forced to spend the night outdoors,” he said.
“When we say that 185 families have no safe place to stay, we are describing a difficult humanitarian reality. These families have no alternative accommodation beyond staying with relatives, resulting in overcrowded and unsuitable living conditions. Some are also struggling to obtain the most basic necessities of life.”
Asserting the need for humanitarian intervention, he told the Post that, based on data collected from the displaced so far, 231 households needed food supplies, 129 needed medicines, 107 needed baby formula and diapers, and 126 needed shelter.
Others have reportedly requested aid with clothing, mattresses, blankets, and psychological support.
Displaced families given inadequate time to prepare for their evacuation
Khamis said that the displaced families said they were not given enough time by the IDF to prepare to leave their homes and that the evacuations “took place under difficult, high-pressure conditions … without sufficient clarity about how long the evacuation would last or when families would be allowed to return to their homes.”
“There was no direct communication with the military, except through notices and demands to leave. These did not provide clear and sufficient information about the duration of the operation, the nature of the measures being taken, or the guarantees concerning residents’ return to their homes,” he said.
Adding to this, Khamis said that they had received no information to suggest Israeli authorities established any arrangements to help facilitate the evacuation of elderly, disabled, or sick Palestinians, which “presented a significant humanitarian challenge, particularly because some families include people who require medical care and ongoing assistance.”
In a statement to The Post, the IDF said that the operation, which came in response to Friday’s terror attack, has seen a cordon imposed where the military is operating and that civilians were allowed to voluntarily leave the area as a way to mitigate potential harm.
“Their departure was facilitated through designated, safe corridors that had been established in advance and communicated to the civilian population,” the military insisted. “Consequently, residents were unable to return to the area while the operation was underway.
“Once military activity in the area concludes, and in accordance with the law, residents will be permitted to return to their homes immediately.”
The military also emphasized that the area of operations is affiliated with Hamas and has a “direct link” to the terrorists responsible for the murder of two soldiers on Friday.