RAMALLAH, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- A total of 488 Palestinian families have been affected by an ongoing Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Hebron since the operation began on Friday, Palestinian official sources said Monday.
In a statement, the Hebron Municipality said Israeli forces had forcibly displaced about 3,171 people from their homes, particularly in the Deir Baha and Al-Jalda areas. Hundreds of residents in nearby neighborhoods remain trapped inside their homes and are being prevented from leaving, it added.
Rafiq al-Jabari, deputy governor of Hebron, said that the city was experiencing "extremely harsh and difficult" conditions as the Israeli operation continued, accompanied by house raids, arrests and interrogations.
Al-Jabari said that Israeli forces had forcibly displaced residents from their homes and properties and caused widespread and systematic destruction of infrastructure, warning that the situation had taken a dangerous turn.
Israeli forces launched a military operation in Hebron on Friday night. The operation followed a shooting near Hebron in which two Israeli soldiers were killed and three others wounded. Israeli forces shot dead the two Palestinian shooters.■
