Israeli curfew confines about 40,000 West Bank Palestinians to homes: UN

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- An Israeli military operation launched in the southern West Bank on Wednesday put an estimated 40,000 Palestinian residents under curfew, blocking their access to daily necessities, UN humanitarians said.

"This is having an immediate humanitarian impact because people cannot replenish supplies, access essential services or just get to their workplaces," said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The office said the operation launched in Adh Dhahiriya in Hebron governorate, about 30 km south of Jerusalem, had snipers on rooftops and blocked roads with earth mounds. Partners estimated roughly 40,000 people, including children, were not permitted to leave their homes.

In its daily news update, OCHA said its partners reported that about seven Palestinian homes were also used as interrogation centers, after Israeli forces confined families to single rooms. There were also several arrests reported.

"Homes and families must be protected, and any security operation must be conducted in a manner that respects international law, including the protection and dignity of civilians," the office said. "We and our partners continue to provide vital support to people in the West Bank."

Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told a regular briefing Wednesday that Guterres is deeply alarmed by the reports of new illegal Israeli settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank and urges Israel to refrain from taking any further steps in this regard and to act in accordance with relevant UN resolutions.

In Gaza, OCHA said its partners reported Israeli military activities in areas located west of the so-called Yellow Line. According to initial local reports, an Israeli airstrike killed at least seven people and injured others at the Gaza City seaport on Tuesday.

"Such incidents, obviously, put civilians at risk and will restrict their ability to seek safety, medical care and humanitarian assistance," said OCHA. Enditem