Israeli Demolitions Ravage Homes and Schools in West Bank’s Masafer Yatta
Israeli forces demolished homes and school facilities in Masafer Yatta, leaving children like 12-year-old Sundus al-Hamamdeh homeless and their education under threat.
Israeli military units carried out a large-scale demolition in the Masafer Yatta region of the occupied West Bank, tearing down homes, livestock pens, water systems and solar panels in Khirbet al-Fakhit, leaving 12-year-old student Sundus al-Hamamdeh without a house. Earlier in August, bulldozers had razed two rooms of Shaab al-Butum school, and the principal school building remains under a demolition order. Education officials, including Bassam Jabr and Intisar Omar Abu Sabha, say the attacks target schools in villages such as Zif, ar-Rifaiyah, Umm Qussa and others, threatening the right to education.
The United Nations has documented the demolitions and highlighted that Israeli-issued building permits are effectively impossible for Palestinians to obtain in Area C. Lawyers like Yasmeen Sallaq argue the combined effect of home loss, school destruction, checkpoints and settler harassment makes schooling nearly impossible. Headteacher Hanaa al-Salameen warns that demolition of Zif Secondary School for Girls could force many girls out of education, while students such as Rabiha Yousef Jibril pledge to continue studying even under trees.
Why it matters
The demolitions jeopardize Palestinian families’ homes and the right to education, deepening humanitarian and legal concerns in the occupied West Bank.
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