RAMALLAH, Palestine

Israeli forces on Tuesday evening fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse dozens of Palestinians protesting in Hebron’s Old City against the closure of a main road.

Four protesters were physically assaulted during the incident, according to local activists.

Arif Jaber, an activist and resident of Hebron's Old City, told Anadolu that the demonstration followed repeated Palestinian official requests to reopen the road, which serves as the only connection between several neighborhoods.

“We approached the Palestinian liaison office (responsible for coordination with Israel), asking them to intervene and reopen this essential route, but the Israeli authorities continue to block it,” Jaber said.

Hebron's Old City is home to several illegal Israeli settler enclaves housing approximately 500 settlers, protected by hundreds of Israeli soldiers.

The city is divided under the 1997 Hebron Agreement into two zones: H1, under Palestinian control, and H2, comprising about 20% of the city, including the Old City and the Ibrahimi Mosque, under Israeli control.

The Hebron Rehabilitation Committee, a Palestinian government body, estimates that since the escalation of hostilities in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, the Israeli military has erected additional barriers in Hebron. These add to over 100 pre-existing checkpoints and obstructions.

Jaber reported that the military closed the Hamra checkpoint three days ago, prompting protest. “As residents spoke to Israeli officers across the barrier, soldiers fired tear gas and stun grenades, then opened the checkpoint to chase participants,” he said.

The military also raided several neighborhoods, searched homes, and severely beat four members of the Ghaith family, according to Jaber.

Residents of Hebron's Old City, he said, face severe restrictions on movement while free access is granted to illegal settlers. On Saturdays, the settlers' weekly day of rest, Palestinians are prohibited from leaving their homes.

Tension has been running high across the occupied West Bank over Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, where more than 45,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed.

At least 815 Palestinians have since been killed and over 6,450 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

The escalation follows a landmark opinion in July by the International Court of Justice that declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land "illegal" and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul