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Israeli forces kept a siege in place around the occupied West Bank city of Hebron and nearby areas for a seventh day, continuing raids, assaults and reported violations against residents.

Local sources said troops seized homes in two neighborhoods and turned them into military positions, while education officials reported that 80,000 students were cut off from in-person teaching over one week.

Raids and closures across the city

Israeli forces continued their raids and attacks in Hebron and areas attached to the city, according to local sources. Troops seized Palestinian homes in the Deyr Bahha and El-Cilde neighborhoods and converted them into military positions.

In the Old City, Israeli forces closed off passages with iron gates. At military checkpoints set up in the area, they stopped Palestinians, searched them and mistreated civilians, the sources said.

Schools shut and students pushed online

A statement from the Hebron Education Directorate, part of the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education, carried by the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, said 66 schools were directly affected by restrictions imposed in the fourth week of October.

In-person classes were suspended at many schools across Hebron because of the siege and closures, forcing thousands of students to turn to remote learning. The directorate reported that 2,872 students directly affected by the attacks could not reach their classrooms, including 2,198 living in areas under siege and 674 who were forced out of their homes.

The blockade also affected 119 teachers and administrative staff, of whom 98 remained in besieged areas and 21 were displaced. The directorate said education has been conducted remotely since 25 October because of the closure of the city entrances and heavy raids in Deyr Bahha and El-Cilde. In one week, 80,000 students across Hebron lost access to face-to-face education.

How the siege began

The Israeli army's assault and siege on Hebron started after a shooting at an Israeli checkpoint in the Ferş el-Heva area at the city's northwestern entrance on 23 October. Two Israeli soldiers were killed and three were wounded in that attack. The two Palestinians who carried it out were killed by the Israeli army.

The army announced that the operation against Hebron could last several days. Two days after the siege began, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said roughly 2,000 Palestinians removed from their homes in the city would not be able to return until Israel dismantled what it described as Hamas "infrastructure" there.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened after the shooting to launch a military operation of a scale not seen in the occupied West Bank since the 1967 war. In its latest statement on the evening of 27 October, the Hebron Municipality said military operations in the area had displaced 4,969 Palestinians, or 780 families.

Key takeaways

• Israeli forces kept the siege and raids in Hebron going for a seventh day, seizing homes in Deyr Bahha and El-Cilde as military positions.
• 66 schools were directly affected and 80,000 students lost in-person classes in one week, with learning moved online since 25 October.
• 2,872 students and 119 education staff were cut off, including people displaced from their homes or trapped in besieged areas.
• The siege began after a 23 October shooting at a checkpoint in Ferş el-Heva that killed two Israeli soldiers; the municipality reported 4,969 Palestinians displaced.