HEBRON / PNN /

Muammar al-Uweiwi stood stunned in the dim light of dawn, hurriedly gathering his family’s identification documents and a few pieces of clothing, as the echoing commands of Israeli soldiers ordering an immediate evacuation reverberated through his home. Within minutes, the 53-year-old, along with his wife and five children, went from living securely in Hebron's Deir Bahat neighborhood to becoming displaced persons, fleeing on foot through the city’s blockaded streets.

"They didn't allow us to take anything else," Al-Uweiwi said, his voice laced with confusion. “Today, we are displaced at my father’s house, and we have no idea when we will be able to return.”

The story of the Al-Uweiwi family is just one of hundreds of deeply unsettling human narratives emerging as Hebron enters its fourth consecutive day under stringent Israeli military measures. Operations have included a total lockdown on the city’s entry and exit points, severe restrictions on residents' movement, and the forced evacuation of hundreds of families in the areas of Deir Bahat, Al-Jalda, and Farsh al-Hawa, forcing them to spend their nights in temporary shelters or crammed into the homes of relatives.

On the other side of the city, 88-year-old Majda Hussein Shweiki, affectionately known as "Um Yazan," experienced the exact same trauma. Israeli soldiers dismounted from military vehicles and used loudspeakers to demand that her family evacuate their home within a single hour, permitting each member to carry no more than a small bag.

The tragedy hits especially hard inside Um Yazan’s household. Her daughter, a high school senior preparing for the critical Tawjihi matriculation exams, is now trapped in a state of emotional distress and distraction. "My daughter didn't know what to carry—her books or her school uniform," the mother said sorrowfully. “She became so anxious that she can no longer study. All the children are feeling a profound heartbreak over leaving their home.”

Official figures released by the Hebron Municipality reflect the scale of the rapidly escalating humanitarian crisis. The Governorate’s Support and Relief Committee has documented the displacement of 407 families, totaling 2,649 individuals. Field data underscores the extreme vulnerability of this displaced population: among them are 1,109 children under the age of 18 (including 180 infants under two years old), 218 elderly individuals, and 115 pregnant or nursing women, alongside dozens of people with disabilities and chronic illnesses.

According to the municipality, 168 of these families now completely lack any secure place to stay. This has created an urgent and desperate need for food, infant formula, medications, medical supplies, and psychological support services for children who were abruptly severed from their familiar surroundings.

The Mayor of Hebron, Engineer Youssef Al-Ja’bari, stated that the Israeli measures have paralyzed economic life and the movement of workers, extending to the closure of the Ibrahimi Mosque to Muslim worshippers.

Al-Ja’bari explained that the targeted residential cluster in Deir Bahat alone spans an area of roughly 330 dunams and contains about 495 housing units, home to nearly 2,200 people. He confirmed that the Israeli military completely emptied the area, forcing residents out of their homes under duress, while converting several residential properties into temporary centers for field interrogations and questioning.

As the military cordons remain tightly in place, local family solidarity serves as the only available lifeline. Yet, this communal support does little to dispel the heavy cloud of uncertainty hanging over the fate of these families, who left their keys behind and have no idea when—or if—they will ever return.

This video was produced as part of the Media Support in Times of Crisis project, supported by the Palestinian Network and implemented in cooperation with Palestine Journalism Hub.