United Nations said that 84 individuals, including 44 children and 40 adults, from 13 Palestinian families, have been compelled to leave Masafer Yatta owing to augmented movement restrictions enforced by Israeli forces since early July 2023,
Masafer Yatta is located in the southern West Bank and was home to 215 Palestinian households, comprising approximately 1,150 individuals. The area is within the 18% of the West Bank designated by Israeli authorities as "firing zones" and reserved for military training. The displaced persons represent about 7% of the population.
For several years, and particularly since May 2022, Israeli authorities have imposed restrictions on movement, confiscated property, demolished homes, and conducted military training in Masafer Yatta. These practices have engendered a coercive environment that has forced residents to leave.
Movement restrictions have intensified over the past three months, with Israeli forces patrolling the area more frequently from a newly established military base. This has further restricted people's movements, access to markets, basic services, and the shipment of fodder and other inputs for livestock, on which most families rely. Israeli forces have also confiscated vehicles used by residents.
Two schools in the area have reported a decline in student numbers, with 24 students dropping out this year, including pupils whose families have left due to the coercive environment and others who fear the unsafe journey to school. In one incident in September, Israeli forces stopped teachers en route to work and threatened to seize their vehicle if they used it again.
Since March 2023, one of Masafer Yatta's communities, Khirbet Bir Al 'Idd, has been empty following the displacement of the last two families. The families cited rising settler violence as the primary reason for leaving. Khirbet Bir Al 'Idd is now one of four Palestinian communities that have been entirely emptied across the West Bank since 2022.
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