At-Tuwani – visiting a wounded friend who was shot by settlers
This time we went to At-Tuwani in Masafer Yatta to visit Zakaria Adra, whom we have already visited several times.
A brief reminder of the incident in which Zakaria was injured on 13.10.23:
On that day, Zacharia left the mosque in the village and a settler from the Havat Maon, accompanied by a soldier, shot Zakaria from point blank range with a deadly bullet that badly wounded him in the stomach. All this in the middle of the day. Zakaria was rushed to the hospital and spent most of the time in intensive care.
At the beginning of January he was released to his home, surrounded by family members who take care of him with devotion. Zacharia was on a check-up at the hospital in Yatta, so we didn’t meet him. At the same time as our arrival, a transit of the Palestinian Ministry of Education with a number of officials parked next to us.
We were invited by Nasser Adra and Naim, Zacharia’s father, to sit in the family’s shig[N1] (guest room).
Their role: supervision of the schools in Masafer Yatta and they are updated with everything that happens in all the schools.
Jibrin, one of the inspectors, speaks Hebrew, and he talks about the problems in the education system in the region, which we have already reported on in many reports.
Classes since October 7th have been irregular and are actually taking place with great difficulty. The two main reasons: the settlers have increased their presence everywhere and many parents are not willing to risk it. Another reason, the blocking of entrances and exits in all the occupied territories, with earthen ramparts, cement barriers and yellow iron gates. These barriers do not allow teachers to reach the schools. Sometimes classes are held on Zoom, but this is almost impossible. The internet is often not available, and the mental stress and conditions are not suitable either.
As an example, Jibrin says that the children of Tuba village, who study in At-Tuwani, do not come to school at all. Tuba children have been accompanied by soldiers or human rights activists for years. For months there has been no escort and no schooling.
Another example, a school that opened a month ago in Dirat, a village on road 356. The school is intended for children in grades 1-4. A few days ago, they received a demolition order.
Educating Palestinian children is something that has not been allowed for years. A number of schools have already been destroyed and we have reported on this. (Zanuta, and Khirbet as-Safai).
We asked to be updated if there is anything new with the demolition order.
Nasser Adra tells of soldiers who demanded a shepherd grazing at the edge of the village, near Jum’a’s mother’s house, to leave that area. Muhammad Rabai, the head of the At-Tuwani Council, intervened in favour of the shepherd and was arrested for 8 days and held in the Ofer prison. He was released to his home on a bail of NIS 5,000.
When we left, we saw Fadel Hamamda from Mufaraqa riding his donkey on his way to buy at Yatta, which in the not-so-distant past he did with his tractor, much faster and more comfortably. The problem was that they might confiscate his tractor and he can’t afford that.
In every visit, we are saddened by what the occupation does to people who just want to live their lives in peace.
A-Tuwani
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A-Tuwani
The locals came to a-Tuwani during the 20th century from the village of Yatta. They settled in abandoned ruins, utilizing the arable land, pastures for grazing sheep and the abundance of natural caves for habitation. The residents who settled in the caves came from families who could not purchase land for houses in the mother villages, as well as shepherds who did not have enough land to graze. They were joined by clan members who quarreled with other families in the mother locality.
Some of the residents today live in concrete buildings built above the caves. In the area of the village are several water cisterns and an ancient water well called 'Ein a-Tuwani. Local residents are forced to buy water in containers and transport them through many road blocks to the village. With the help of international organizations, an electrical system was installed in the village. In the late 90s of the 20tTh century, an elementary school was established in the serving several small villages in the area.
In 2004, MachsomWatch began visiting and reporting from the Khirbet Tuwani cave village, which suffers badly from the settlers of nearby outposts, and especially from the extremist Ma'on outpost. . The settlers contaminate cisterns, poison the flocks and uproot trees.Particularly notable is the harassment of children from the surrounding villages on their way to school in a-Tuwani, so much so that military escort of children is required to separate them from the attackers (this was arranged following an initiative of the organization's members). In the past year, the escort has been without the vital presence of overseas volunteers.
Near a-Tuwani there are several families who have returned to the caves due to the incessant demolitions of the civil administration (as there is a total construction ban in all of area C). Destroyed are not only residential and agricultural buildings, but also water pipes, machinery. Even water cisterns are clogged up. a-Tuwani residents have created an association for non-violent demolition protests, but in the past year the army’s harsh harassment and settler violence have intensified and escalated. The incident of the small generator confiscation, which left a young man paralyzed, is one of many examples - any legitimate protection of property rights leads to violence and even shootings by the army and the civil administration.
Updated April 2022
Muhammad D.May-13-2025Susiya - at Ahmad and Halima Nawaja'a
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Mesafer Yatta
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Masafer Yatta
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South Hebron Hills
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South Hebron Hills
South Hebron Hills is a large area in the West Bank's southern part.
Yatta is a major city in this area: right in the border zone between the fertile region of Hebron and its surroundings and the desert of the Hebron Hills. Yatta has about 64,000 inhabitants.
The surrounding villages are called Masafer Yatta (Yatta's daughter villages). Their inhabitants subsist on livestock and agriculture. Agriculture is possible only in small plots, especially near streams. Most of the area consists of rocky terraces.Since the beginning of the 1980s, many settlements have been established on the agricultural land cultivated by the Palestinians in the South Hebron Hills region: Carmel, Maon, Susia, Masadot Yehuda, Othniel, and more. Since the settlements were established and Palestinians cultivation areas have been reduced; the residents of the South Hebron Hills have been suffering from harassment by the settlers. Attempts to evict and demolish houses have continued, along with withholding water and electricity. The military and police usually refrain from intervening in violent incidents between settlers and Palestinians do not enforce the law when it comes to the investigation of extensive violent Jewish settlers. The harassment in the South Hebron Hills includes attacking and attempting to burn residential tents, harassing dogs, harming herds, and preventing access to pastures.
There are several checkpoints in the South Hebron Hills, on Routes 317 and 60. In most of them, no military presence is apparent, but rather an array of pillboxes monitor the villages. Roadblocks are frequently set up according to the settlers and the army's needs. These are located at the Zif Junction, the Dura-al Fawwar crossing, and the Sheep Junction at the southern entrance to Hebron.
Updated April 2022
Muhammad D.May-13-2025Susiya - at Ahmad and Halima Nawaja'a
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