Middle East & North Africa
UN rights chief Türk warns Israel’s Hebron operation raises “serious concerns of ethnic cleansing” as more than 3,000 are displaced
Volker Türk says Israel’s Hebron operation raises “serious concerns of ethnic cleansing”, while OCHA says more than 3,000 people have been evacuated since Friday.
UN human rights chief Volker Türk warned on 26 October that Israel’s operation in the West Bank city of Hebron raises “serious concerns of ethnic cleansing”, as the number of Palestinians forced from their homes passed 3,000, according to UN News. The UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said aid partners were supporting local authorities in Hebron for more than 3,000 people evacuated by Israeli forces since Friday.
What Türk said
UN News reported that the operation began after two Palestinian gunmen opened fire on an Israeli military checkpoint near Hebron on Friday, killing two soldiers and wounding three; both gunmen were killed. In a statement, Türk said the operation had demolished homes and commercial property and deprived residents of the ability to move freely. He said the measures raised “grave concerns of unnecessary and disproportionate use of force” which “must end”.
Türk said declarations by senior Israeli government officials indicated that the measures were “punitive in nature and designed to instil fear”. He called for all displaced people to be allowed to return home and for Israel to ensure compensation and reparation for unlawful evictions and demolitions. “Collective punishment is a grave violation of international law,” he said, adding that threats to empty and erase entire neighbourhoods also raised serious concerns of ethnic cleansing. These are the assessments of the UN rights chief; the sources read did not include an Israeli response to this statement.
Displacement figures and settler attacks
The figure of more than 3,000 comes from the UN. Earlier on 26 October the Palestinian Authority gave a lower count of 2,670 displaced, as reported in Geopolitiki’s article Israel’s Hebron operation: Palestinian Authority says 2,670 displaced as demolitions and evacuations continue. OCHA also said more than 2,000 settler attacks causing casualties or damage have been recorded in the West Bank in 2026, more than in any previous year on record.
Gaza and the commission of inquiry
The same UN News report said OCHA was responding to new displacement in both Gaza and the West Bank, and that in Gaza families near the so-called “yellow line” faced reported arson attacks. Separately, the independent Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory presented a report to the UN General Assembly on Monday in which it said Israel has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity and continues to commit genocidal acts in Gaza. Israel’s permanent mission in Geneva rejected the findings, calling the report “yet another manifestation of its misinformation campaign to demonise the State of Israel and portray its very existence as criminal”.
On the earlier phase of the crisis, including the closure of the West Bank, see Geopolitiki’s report UN “extremely alarmed” as Israel seals the West Bank after Hebron attack: Guterres condemns record settler violence.
Source read: UN News, 26 October 2026, which reports Türk’s statement and OCHA’s update.
