Hebron is one of the oldest cities in the world, revered by all three monotheistic religions. Its name comes from the name given to Abraham, al Khalil -the beloved of God. He would have been buried with some of his descendants in the cave under the current Tomb of the Patriarchs: מערתהמכפלה (Ma-arat Hamakhpelah / the cave of the [4] double [graves]: Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Leah) in Hebrew and الحرمالإبراهيمي (Haram Ibrahim / the sacred place of Ibrahim) or الحرمالخليل (Haram al-Khalil / sacred place of the friend (of God)), or المغارة (Al-Maghara / grave) in Arabic.

During Palestinian revolts in 1929, following false rumors of massacres committed by Jews in Jerusalem, 67 of the 600 Jews of Hebron were massacred by Palestinians. Protected by the Arab Hebronites, the survivors were evacuated by the British authorities. In 1968, religious Jews settled in a hotel and founded the first colony. In 1972, the Israeli government initiated construction of Kiryat Arba, a settlement on the outskirts of the city, which now has 7000 inhabitants. The five colonies of the Old City are installed along Shuada street (Martyrs Street), part of which is totally forbidden to Palestinians. It connects Kiryat Arba to Tell al-Rumeida, the supposed location of the founding of the city. Here there are about 600 religious settlers mainly from the United States and France, armed and protected by 1 500 to 2 000 Israeli soldiers, depending on the period. These extremists were especially hostile toward the Oslo Accords. In February 1994, Baruch Goldstein, a U.S born settler from Kiryat Arba wearing an Israeli uniform, opened fire on a crowd of worshipers in the Ibrahimi Mosque, killing 29 people and wounding 200 others before being killed.

The agreement for the redeployment of Israeli forces in Hebron (Hebron Protocol – 1997) has divided the city into two parts: H1 under the control of the Palestinian Authority (80% of the territory) and H2 under Israeli control (remaining 20%​​, 35,000 Palestinian inhabitants). The H2 zone includes Israeli settlements, the Old City and the Ibrahimi Mosque. However, the Israeli army maintains control over the city and can conduct military operations.

Evictions, closings of shops, restrictions on movement, collective punitive measures and violence by settlers provoked the departure of many Palestinian families and caused serious social problems. The population of the old city went from 10,000 inhabitants in 1952, to 400 in 1995. The previously active commercial center of the city is devastated, dotted with ruins, closed buildings, barbed wire, gates, turnstiles, control towers and concrete blocks. Metal grills protect people passing by from garbage and stones thrown by settlers living in houses above. Despite plans to bring life back into the area, funded by the Palestinian Authority, European governments, Arab financial institutions and the World Bank, more than 1000 homes are abandoned and 1,800 stores closed. About 5,000 people lived in the old city in 2012.