RAMALLAH, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- With evacuation orders over loudspeakers, 47-year-old Ibrahim al-Natsha woke his three children, grabbed a few essentials, and fled his home in the al-Jalda neighborhood of Hebron in the southern West Bank late Friday night.
The Palestinian father is unsure when his family can return, as an Israeli military operation is targeting where they live, following an attack that killed two Israeli soldiers earlier in the day.
"What hurt me most was seeing my children leave without understanding why they had to go or when they could come back. As a father, you want to protect your children and make them feel safe, but I could not tell them what would happen next," al-Natsha told Xinhua, expressing hope that the operation would end soon.
Like al-Natsha, 30-year-old Suhaila al-Hashlamoun also felt everything happened too fast.
Fleeing with her two children, she told Xinhua that residents underwent security checks and questioning before being allowed to leave, adding to the anxiety of an already distressing night.
Beyond the immediate distress, al-Hashlamoun said she remained worried about the home and belongings left behind.
"You leave behind your memories and the place where your children feel they belong. You keep wondering what might happen to your home while you are away. We want nothing more than to return and live without fear," she said.
The two families were among about 500 Palestinian families displaced from al-Jalda, according to Hebron Mayor Tayseer Abu Sneineh, after Israeli forces announced late Friday a military operation in Hebron aimed at "thwarting terrorism."
According to the military, those responsible for killing two Israeli soldiers had come from the targeted area.
The military said its forces were searching for "terrorist infrastructure" and combat equipment, questioning dozens of suspects, with the operation expected to last several days.
Security sources and eyewitnesses reported that Israeli forces had already arrested 13 Palestinians during the operation and closed entrances to Hebron and surrounding villages, towns and refugee camps.
The move has raised concerns about its impact on the residential neighborhood. Abu Sneineh said al-Jalda, covering approximately 35 hectares, is classified as Area A under the Oslo Accords, placing it under the Palestinian Authority's civil and security control. He described the forced evacuations as a form of collective punishment.
Ahmed Rafiq Awad, director of the Mediterranean Center for Regional Studies, told Xinhua the operation reflects what he sees as Israel's right-wing government trying to reshape realities on the ground and tighten its grip on the West Bank.
He said the displacement of residents and demolition of homes following the killing of the two Israeli soldiers should be viewed within the context of broader Israeli policies, not merely as a response to an isolated attack.
For the displaced families, however, the immediate concern remains their return. As the operation continues, al-Natsha, al-Hashlamoun and hundreds of others are uncertain when they can go home, leaving parents struggling to comfort children whose sense of safety has been abruptly shattered. ■
