UN says 3,000 Palestinians remain displaced in Hebron

About 3,000 Palestinians remain displaced from two neighbourhoods in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, the United Nations said on Thursday, as continuing Israeli military operations restrict movement and disrupt access to essential services.

Israeli forces are preventing entry to the affected neighbourhoods while maintaining tight restrictions across the wider Hebron governorate, according to Shirin Yaseen, associate spokesperson for the UN secretary-general. She said the operations were affecting Palestinians’ ability to work, attend school and obtain healthcare.

The displacement estimate comes from Hebron municipality and was relayed by the UN’s humanitarian partners. The organisation called for displaced residents to be allowed to return voluntarily and safely, alongside measures to prevent further forced displacement and demolitions and ensure unhindered humanitarian access. 

“We call once again for the protection of Palestinians across the West Bank,” Yaseen said at the briefing on 29 October.

Separately, she condemned attacks on religious sites when asked about a report attributed to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs that Israeli settlers had vandalised 14 mosques this year.

Calling such attacks “unacceptable”, Yaseen said places of worship must be protected and religious freedom upheld everywhere.