On the remains of what looks like a sofa, a Palestinian family sits with a child named Ida, watching the ruins of her home. A few meters away, neighbors share the same scene with the remnants of their own houses. The image repeats across Masafer Yatta, a desert area in the south of the occupied West Bank where building demolitions signal a looming displacement. Following a Supreme Court ruling that closed a two-decade legal battle, residents here face the prospect of mass removal. Israel is preparing to expel about 1,200 Palestinians in what would be one of the largest forced displacements in recent memory. Since the start of the occupation more than fifty years ago, the population has endured routine pressures and upheaval.
Field teams have spent weeks documenting protests against the decision, while the Israeli Army has continued to deploy force against the community, according to Basil Al Adraa, a Palestinian journalist and activist affiliated with Masafer Yatta. In this region there are 19 villages spread across hills and valleys, located roughly 30 kilometers southeast of Hebron. Historically, Bedouin families built lives around underground caves, engaging in farming and animal husbandry in this harsh landscape.
This is not distant news for families nearby. A report described settlers injuring peace activists who came to oppose the occupation and its ongoing policy of ethnically cleansing the Masafer Yatta area. The post carried messages of courage and resilience in the face of systemic racism and violence, and a photograph circulated from the event.
More than 50 residents have already migrated into tents and caves, living under severe conditions while authorities block access to essential services such as water and electricity. In the 1980s the area was declared a closed military zone and became known locally as a designated Fire Zone. This strategically significant border region was chosen to facilitate the removal of the indigenous Palestinian population.
“As if they weren’t human”
The community of Masafer Yatta began a legal fight that stretched for 23 years and culminated recently in a ruling that the residents could not prove permanent residence prior to the area being designated as a shooting range, even though many held purchasing documents. Human rights groups, including B’Tselem, argued that the state’s decision amounted to war crimes and violated international law. The case drew widespread condemnation and highlighted the plight of those living in the area who say they are being erased from history by a single legal act.
The situation intensified when the Israeli army began preparations to deport roughly 1,000 Palestinians in Masafer Yatta. That sequence of events prompted coverage from human rights organizations and drew international attention to the ongoing confrontation between home, land, and state power. In the ongoing debate, generations have lived, labored, and raised families on this land long before the Israeli presence expanded into the West Bank. A decision with sweeping consequences effectively erased communities’ pasts by declaring that no such history had occurred, according to the observers in the case. Masafer Yatta sits within Area C, a portion of the West Bank under full Israeli control, a status that has endured for decades. A large share of Area C remains designated as a military zone or subject to exclusive use, a factor affecting settlement patterns and daily life for Palestinians living there.
Permissions for settlers
Despite this, construction of Jewish settlements around the military zone has continued, while the Israeli civil administration has issued only a small number of building permits to Palestinians living in Area C since 2006. Critics label these actions as illegal settlements that complicate any prospect for peace. The international community responded to the Masafer Yatta tragedy with calls for adherence to international law, arguing that Israel, as the occupying power, bears responsibility to protect the civilian population.
In a broader international context, a regional delegation and international partners were involved in a UN-led visit to Masafer Yatta, where about 1,200 Palestinians faced imminent displacement in light of the Supreme Court decision. In the United States, a group of Democratic senators and representatives urged the State Department to intervene to prevent deportations ahead of a presidential visit to the region. On the ground, observers noted road closures and the gathering of residents’ names as settlers advanced and activists faced intimidation. People in Masafer Yatta expressed deep concern, seeing the current moment as a critical step toward evacuation.