REACTION: Israeli large-scale military operation and mass displacement in Hebron

Responding to the large-scale Israeli military operation and mass displacement in Hebron in recent days, Oxfam’s Response Lead in the West Bank, Mustafa Tamaizeh, said:

"This is not only a humanitarian crisis but a deliberate assault on the economic foundations of Palestinian life, as families lose their homes and livelihoods. The destruction of factories, workshops, and business premises is wiping out years of investment and hard work. As movement restrictions tighten under Israel’s illegal occupation, workers cannot reach their jobs, farmers cannot access their land, and businesses are cut off from customers and supply chains.

“These illegal actions amount to collective punishment and are accelerating the forced displacement of Palestinian communities across the West Bank. They come during the olive harvest, one of the most important sources of income for Palestinian farming families. Israeli authorities, however, are creating conditions that make it increasingly difficult for Palestinians to remain on their land, with escalating state-backed settler violence and severe access restrictions preventing many from reaching their groves to harvest the crops that provide for them and their communities.  

“The restrictions are also severely affecting humanitarian operations, limiting Oxfam's ability to reach affected communities and assess needs at a time when humanitarian access is most critical. All aspects of life are being impacted. Children and students, for example, cannot reach their places of study, and even those in need of medical care are being prevented from accessing health services.  

“The economic damage being inflicted on Hebron is not incidental. It is part of a broader pattern of dispossession and ethnic cleansing that is deepening poverty, increasing dependency on humanitarian aid, and undermining any prospect for a just and dignified future.  

“In recent days, high-ranking Israeli officials have openly acknowledged they are considering plans for the largest military operation in the West Bank since 1967, with calls for operations in the West Bank to be conducted like those in Gaza. Against this backdrop Oxfam is calling for urgent action by the international community to stop Israel’s campaign of mass forced displacement, demolitions and state-backed settler violence, which amount to a policy of ethnic cleansing.”

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