Israeli occupation forces issued demolition orders on Thursday targeting five inhabited homes and three agricultural structures in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron in the southern occupied West Bank, in a continuation of long‑running efforts to forcibly displace Palestinian communities from the area.
Local activist Osama Makhamra stated that Israeli soldiers invaded the Umm Qissa community in Masafer Yatta and delivered demolition orders for five homes and three agricultural structures, including sheep barns and storage facilities.
The targeted properties belong to members of the Al‑Uthaymin family: Nayef Ali Al‑Uthaymin, Ahmad Al‑Uthaymin, Lu’ay Al‑Uthaymin, Younis Al‑Uthaymin, Ismael Al‑Uthaymin, and Adel Al‑Uthaymin.
Makhamra explained that Israeli authorities had issued stop‑work and stop‑construction notices to the families about a month earlier, before escalating those notices into full demolition orders.
Such administrative steps are routinely used as a prelude to the destruction of Palestinian homes in Area C, where Israel maintains full military and administrative control.
Masafer Yatta, a cluster of rural hamlets in the South Hebron Hills, has been the focus of an intensified Israeli campaign aimed at clearing Palestinian communities from the area.
Israeli authorities and illegal paramilitary colonizers have repeatedly targeted the region for demolitions, land confiscation, and military training zones, placing dozens of families at risk of forced displacement.
Human rights organizations have warned that the removal of residents from Masafer Yatta would constitute a grave breach of international humanitarian law.
Despite international criticism, Israeli forces continue to issue demolition orders and carry out demolitions across the South Hebron Hills, threatening homes, livestock shelters, and agricultural infrastructure as part of a broader policy designed to reshape the region for colonial expansion.
