The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, warned that the Israeli military operation in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron raises serious concerns about ethnic cleansing, following the killing of two Israeli soldiers in an attack carried out by two Palestinian gunmen. Turk emphasized that collective punishment is a serious violation of international law, and noted that threats to empty and erase entire neighborhoods of their residents raise serious concerns about ethnic cleansing, according to the French news agency.