Shibbir Ahmed, New York — The United Nations has raised serious concerns over Israel’s military operation in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, warning of possible ethnic cleansing as more than 3,000 Palestinians have been forced from their homes. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said Monday that Israel’s “aggressive operation” involved home demolitions, destruction of commercial property and severe restrictions on residents’ freedom of movement.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said humanitarian partners were supporting local authorities in Hebron to address the needs of more than 3,000 people evacuated by Israeli forces since Friday. The operation began after two Palestinian gunmen opened fire on an Israeli military checkpoint near Hebron, killing two Israeli soldiers and wounding three others. Both attackers were killed.
“The sweeping steps taken raise grave concerns of unnecessary and disproportionate use of force – which must end,” Türk said in a statement. Türk said the Israeli lockdown had confined many Palestinians to their homes and immediate neighbourhoods, raising concerns about the humanitarian consequences of the operation. He pointed to statements by senior Israeli government officials suggesting that the measures were punitive and intended to instil fear among residents.
“This is unacceptable,” he said.
The UN human rights chief called for all displaced Palestinians to be allowed to return to their homes. He also urged Israel to provide compensation and reparation for unlawful evictions, demolitions and the displacement they caused.
“Collective punishment is a grave violation of international law,” Türk warned, adding that threats to empty and erase entire neighbourhoods raised serious concerns about ethnic cleansing. Violence by Israeli settlers continued across the occupied West Bank over the weekend, disrupting the annual olive harvest and adding to concerns over Palestinian safety and livelihoods.
According to OCHA, more than 2,000 settler attacks causing casualties or property damage have been recorded since the beginning of 2026. The figure exceeds the total recorded in any previous year, making 2026 the worst year on record for such attacks, according to the UN agency. OCHA said the UN and its humanitarian partners were responding to new displacement in both Gaza and the West Bank as the humanitarian situation continued to deteriorate.
In Gaza, humanitarian agencies reported new arson incidents affecting Palestinian families living near the so-called “yellow line,” which marks the area Israeli forces withdrew to under the October 2025 ceasefire agreement. OCHA reported that new yellow blocks had been observed in Ash Shuja’iyyeh and parts of Deir al Balah. Since Friday, a UN site in Deir al Balah has come under fire. The agency also reported three separate shooting incidents near three UN schools and a UN convoy.
During a visit to Ash Shuja’iyyeh in Gaza City, UN teams identified at least nine households that had lost their tents after shelters were set on fire Sunday night. The incident followed another fire at the same site the previous week that displaced approximately 200 families.
The reports underscore the continuing dangers facing displaced Palestinians, many of whom are living in temporary shelters with limited protection from violence and approaching winter conditions.
Separately, an independent UN human rights investigative commission said Israel had committed war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians and continued to commit genocide in Gaza. The commission, established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2021, said the alleged crimes against humanity included extermination, persecution, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. The commission’s latest report was presented to the UN General Assembly.
Commission Chair Srinivasan Muralidhar said the killing and injuring of Palestinian civilians and destruction of homes in the West Bank, alongside what he described as Israel’s persistent denial of responsibility, formed part of a broader strategy to displace Palestinians and impose unlivable conditions.
He also warned that Israel’s continued expansion of territorial control in Gaza was resulting in the killing and injury of Palestinian civilians approaching or crossing the yellow line. The investigators further alleged that Israeli authorities and forces continued to commit genocidal acts despite the ceasefire agreement, with the intent to destroy the Palestinian people, in whole or in part.
Israel rejected the commission’s findings. Its permanent mission in Geneva described the report as another manifestation of what it called a misinformation campaign intended to demonise the country and portray its existence as criminal. The latest developments have intensified international concern over civilian protection, forced displacement and the humanitarian consequences of Israeli military operations in the occupied Palestinian territory.
