Illegal paramilitary Israeli colonizers seized several caves on Tuesday in the Khirbet al‑Tabbat area of Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank’s southern part, converting them into makeshift dwellings as part of an effort to establish a new pastoral outpost that would take over extensive tracts of Palestinian land.
Media activist Osama Makhamra said the colonizers took over caves belonging to the Hamamda and al‑‘Atayri families and settled inside them with their livestock, which they released into surrounding Palestinian fields planted with trees and seasonal crops.
Residents reported immediate damage to farmland and described the move as a clear step toward entrenching a new land grab in an area already under sustained pressure.
The seized caves sit near the road linking the villages and hamlets of Masafer Yatta, close to the entrance of Khirbet al‑Tibban and within reach of Maghayir al‑‘Abid, Esfey, al‑Fakhit, and al‑Majaz—communities repeatedly targeted with displacement orders, land seizures, and colonizer violence.
Local families warned that the takeover signals an escalation aimed at expanding the network of pastoral colonies across Masafer Yatta.
They said the move aligns with a broader strategy to seize more land, restrict Palestinian access to agricultural areas, and tighten the pressure on communities already facing the threat of expulsion.
In related news, Israeli forces issued a notice ordering the removal of a two‑kilometer electricity network in the western part of Ethna, west of Hebron, a move that would cut power to the Bir al‑Balouta area and intensify pressure on residents living near the Annexation Wall.
All of Israel’s colonies in the occupied West Bank, including those in and around occupied East Jerusalem, are illegal under International Law, the Fourth Geneva Convention, in addition to various United Nations and Security Council resolutions. They also constitute war crimes under International Law.
Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits collective punishment and acts of terror against civilian populations.
Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states: “The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.” It also prohibits the “individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory”.
Articles 53 and 147, prohibit the destruction of civilian property and classify pillage as a war crime.
