How to Help Masafer Yatta? Masafer Yatta is more than just a collection of villages in the South Hebron Hills; it symbolizes resilience in the face of ongoing displacement, violence, and systematic erasure.
Home to Palestinian communities with deep-rooted histories of agriculture and herding, this region has been at the center of escalating tensions due to its designation as an Israeli military “firing zone.” Despite international condemnation, Israeli demolitions, settler violence, and severe restrictions on movement and resources continue to threaten the survival of the people living there.
Yet, amid these challenges, the residents of Masafer Yatta persist, determined to hold onto their land and way of life. This article explores the reality on the ground, the legal and humanitarian concerns surrounding the area, and the ways in which individuals and organizations, such as Volunteer in Palestine, can support local communities as they push for justice.
Table of Contents
What is Masafer Yatta?
Masafer Yatta is an area in the south of the occupied West Bank, just outside of Hebron City. This area houses a cluster of approximately 12 small villages that house around 1,150 Palestinian people. The region is known for its long history of Bedouin and semi-nomadic communities who rely on agriculture and herding for their livelihoods. However, Masafer Yatta has become a focal point of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict due to ongoing displacement, demolitions, and military activity.
Since the early 1980s, Masafer Yatta has been designated as a ‘firing zone’ by the Israeli military. This effectively relegates it to a closed military zone, which is apparently essential for military training. ‘Firing zone’ designations have been used to restrict the movement and growth of Palestinians in the West Bank for decades and currently cover nearly 18% of the West Bank’s Israel-controlled Area C.
The problem? Firing zones do not allow for civilian residences or infrastructure, even though the villages where these ‘firing zones’ intersect were established long before the Israeli occupation. In practice, these designations allow for the forced removal of protected populations under occupation, which is in contradiction to international law.
The area of Masafer Yatta has been a significant point of contention and international focus over the course of the Israeli occupation, with concerns over Israel’s lack of compliance with human rights and international law. Since the Israeli Supreme Court ruled in May 2022 that over 1,000 Palestinians could be forcibly removed due to its designation as Firing Zone 918, violence in the area has escalated. The UN and human rights organizations have argued that Israel’s actions amount to forcible transfer, a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) (from which Israel withdrew its signature in 2002).
Why Does Masafer Yatta Matter?
The ongoing fight for Masafer Yatta’s survival mirrors the very fight for Palestine’s survival, as Israeli policy and violence vie for the gradual erosion of the people. However, despite incredibly difficult circumstances, the residents of Masafer Yatta endure – refusing to give in despite their difficult circumstances.
Some of the villages in Masafer Yatta, like Umm Al Khayer, sit next to rapidly growing Israeli settlements that began construction in the 1980s. Emboldened soldiers and settlers frequently attack villages and their residents, demolishing houses, vandalizing property, breaking and entering Palestinian properties, and physically assaulting people.
In addition to this direct assault on everyday life in Masafer Yatta, soldiers, and settlers engage in other indirect ways to try and push the people out. Destruction of grazing and farming land, a main source of income for the villages, is a significant and persistent problem. So is the restriction on providing services like water; Umm Al Khayer faces significant water cuts, sometimes only being able to access 7 hours of water flow per week.
Masafer Yatta is a prime example of the methods used by Israel to not only restrict the lives of Palestinians in the West Bank but also to try and erase them.
Pushing Out the People
One of the key tactics Israel uses to wear down the community in Masafer Yatta is buildings – through the demolition of existing or new structures and refusal to grant building permits.
In practice, Palestinian homes are demolished without warning in villages across Masafer Yatta, and families are rarely allowed permission to rebuild. On rare occasions, permission is granted, and the building must be 30 meters from where it was originally located. In Umm Al Khayer, the village is being pushed further off the ancestral land, away from the newer settlements. In some areas of Masafer Yatta, people live in caves because they are not permitted to build anything new, and anything they do try to build is demolished for being ‘illegal.’
This is where the resilience of Palestinians shines. Despite the constant fear, the continuous threat of attack, and not knowing when their house might be demolished from under them, the people persist. When permits for building are not granted, families will sometimes move into tents rather than abandon the land.
In some areas of Masafer Yatta, the villages have invited an international protective presence to witness the situation and help stop the escalation of violence.
Volunteer in Palestine and Masafer Yatta
Visiting Masafer Yatta is one of the key parts of the Human Rights Program at Volunteer in Palestine. Through our close connection with the community of Umm Al Khayer, we are able to orchestrate regular trips and allow our volunteers to meet the people and hear their stories. It is a really impactful way to learn more about the real effect of the occupation in the West Bank; one that is pervasive and constant but not often in the news headlines.
One of our recent volunteers, Kayleigh, visited Masafar Yatta in January 2025. She recounts her experience in the village of Umm Al Kayer:
“In Masafer Yatta, the air you breathe, the sights your eyes take in, and most of all, the voices of the people will fill anyone that visits with despair. The stark contrast between the erected settlements and the make-shift homes of the Indigenous is beyond heartbreaking. Masafer Yatta is crucial to understanding the true effects of the insidious occupation.
“The housing in the settlements is equipped with everything to sustain modern life, such as running water, heat, electricity, and wi-fi for the over 700 settlers. However, the Indigenous Palestinians, which consist of over 200 families, are prohibited from having these necessities.
“The Palestinians of Masafer Yatta are forbidden to build structures on their land, enforced by the Israeli Military. They live in tents, metal structures, and even caves. These bare-bones housing projects are regularly attacked and destroyed by the settlers. This is how the occupation further encroaches on Palestinian land.
“To sustain themselves, the Palestinians sell products obtained through farming of plants, goats, and sheep. The fruits, vegetables, meat, and milk they sell directly fund the community. Knowing this, the Israeli settlers make an effort to stop production by flowing their sewage to the gardens, cutting the hoses from the water tanks to waste their already limited water supply, and killing their sheep. The goal of this consistent violence is to create harsh conditions that force the Palestinians to relocate ultimately.
“Freedom of movement is also extremely limited. The occupation has established checkpoints and strict curfews. This, of course, harms the Palestinians’ access to adequate health care and their children’s right to an education. Despite all of this, the Palestinians resist and remain firm on their land, clinging to their birthright.
“As we played together on the playground, the children of Masafer Yatta stole a piece of my heart. The light in their eyes has not been extinguished by extreme hardship. For as long as I live, I will not forget them. I truly feel that if the average person visited Masafer Yatta, they would have more empathy for the Palestinian struggle through a deeper understanding of the lack of human rights caused by the occupation.”
How You Can Help Masafer Yatta?
Things are hard for the people of Masafer Yatta, and it only looks to be getting harder as we move further into 2025. The Israeli army and the settler population are becoming used to acting with impunity and little consequence. However, Masafer Yatta endures.
In response to the growing need for support in areas like Masafer Yatta, Volunteer in Palestine has developed a new volunteer program in local Palestinian villages and rural areas. Through this program, volunteers are immersed in the daily lives of Palestinians under occupation, including joys and challenges. Volunteers will also work with Palestinian children, youth, women, and refugees during this program to enhance their English language skills and engage in educational and recreational activities.
Want to know more about how you can help? Send an email to Info@ecpalestine.org.
1. Volunteer in Palestinian Communities
Volunteer in Palestinian Communities: This program offers an excellent opportunity for individuals of all ages, from students to retirees, to work directly with Palestinian communities in villages and rural areas of the West Bank, including Dura and the Hebron Hills, such as Masafer Yatta, Susya, Umm Al-Khayr, the Al-Fawwar refugee camp, and Bani Na’im. Volunteers will collaborate with Palestinian children, youth, women, and refugees to enhance their skills and participate in educational and recreational activities.
2. Community Development Volunteer Program
The Community Development Program through Volunteer in Palestine offers a unique opportunity to engage with the Palestinian community by working with local organizations. This program is ideal for those who wish to support Palestinian children, women, youth, and refugees in camps, as well as other community members in and around Hebron, West Bank.
3. Volunteer with Palestinian Children
Volunteer With Palestinian Children: This program is an excellent opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students, professionals, retirees, social workers, and teachers interested in working with children in a volunteer capacity. It is also ideal for anyone, whether native or non-native English speaker, interested in interning with Palestinian children.
How To Apply
If you’re interested in volunteering to support Masafer Yatta in the Hebron Hills, please email us at Info@ecpalestine.org. We’ll send you an application form to complete and return, and we’ll guide you through the next steps of the process.
Get Further Information
For more information, please visit our website: https://volunteerinpalestine.org/
The Excellence Center in Palestine: https://excellencenter.org/
Engage in Palestine: https://ecpalestine.org/
WhatsApp:+972 599 479 880
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excellence.center
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ExcellenceCenter
Facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/RafatECHebron
Watch us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsQSLdFZWZcBm6Uj0XMYuKg
Visit and Explore Palestine: https://www.facebook.com/ExplorePalestine
Tags: Community development in Masafer Yatta, Help Masafer Yatta community, Support Hebron Hills, Volunteer in Masafer Yatta, Volunteer Opportunities in Palestine
