Ramallah: The Israeli military has demolished the Palestinian village of Khalet Al-Dab in the Masafer Yatta area of the occupied West Bank, displacing dozens of residents in what activists say is part of a broader effort to remove Palestinians and make room for incoming Jewish settlers.
The demolition took place on the morning of May 5, 2025, with military bulldozers razing key structures in the village. According to Basel Adra, a Palestinian filmmaker and activist from the region, large sections of the village were flattened without prior humanitarian provisions for those affected.
The head of the local council, Mohammed Rabia, confirmed that nine homes, five tents, and five animal enclosures were destroyed, effectively stripping the community of its essential infrastructure and shelter.
The demolitions were officially acknowledged by Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), and followed a notice issued by Israeli authorities on May 1, informing Palestinian officials of plans to demolish 106 buildings across the Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps, citing "military purposes."
However, human rights observers and local residents view the actions in Masafer Yatta as part of a long-running campaign to forcibly displace Palestinian communities and expand illegal Israeli settlements under the protection of the army.
The village has repeatedly been the target of both military operations and settler aggression, with previous reports documenting looting by soldiers and the construction of settler roads that cut through Palestinian lands.
This latest demolition underscores the intensifying pressure on Palestinian communities across the West Bank, particularly in strategic rural areas like Masafer Yatta, where settlers and soldiers often act in coordination. The pattern of razing homes and livestock shelters under the pretext of “unlicensed construction” continues to draw international condemnation.
Local and international observers argue that these operations not only violate international law but are also part of a systemic effort to alter the demographic and geographic landscape of the occupied territories to the benefit of Israeli settlers.
