"At nine o'clock on a Monday morning in May, the quiet of Khallet al-Daba was shattered by the sound of bulldozers and other demolition vehicles approaching. Accompanying them were Israeli soldiers pouring into the village, forcing families out of their homes and driving livestock into the open. By the end of May 5, the small community in the heart of Masafer Yatta had been reduced to rubble."
"Dozens of military vehicles, armoured carriers and jeeps sealed off the village as the demolitions took place in May, according to locals. Women carrying infants, men still dazed from being forced suddenly from their homes, and children screaming in fear stood under the burning sun for six hours. Behind them, the walls of their houses were turned into rubble. Families have since been attempting to adapt to a life uprooted. Some have sheltered in underground caves dug years ago as makeshift refuges."
""We've returned to the Stone Age, living in caves and tents without the necessities of life but no one has left the village.""
At least four mass demolitions by Israeli forces targeted Khallet al-Daba in 2025, including a May 5 operation that reduced the community to rubble. Dozens of military vehicles, armoured carriers and jeeps sealed off the village while families were forced from their homes and livestock driven into the open. Women, men and children stood exposed under the sun for hours as houses were destroyed. Many residents now shelter in underground caves dug years earlier or in fragile tents that cannot withstand seasonal extremes. Water, electricity, solar systems, drinking wells, sewage tanks and street lighting were destroyed, leaving severe humanitarian needs.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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