UNITED NATIONS, Aug 17: A United Nations official expressed serious concern on Friday over the uprooting of more than 1,000 Palestinians living in the southern Hebron Hills region by the Israelis.

They were forced to leave their homes after Israeli authorities designated the area as a fire zone for military training.

“These are already some of the most vulnerable families in the West Bank – forcibly displacing them from their homes and lands would have a serious immediate and long-term impact on their physical, socio-economic and emotional welfare”, said UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory Maxwell Gaylard.

Approximately 18 per cent of the West Bank has been designated by the Israeli authorities as a ‘firing zone’. Most of these areas are located in an area over which Israel retains full control of security and planning.