Since late 2023, Bedouin villages in the occupied West Bank have been under renewed pressure, as settlers backed by the military and political authorities move to seize land, trigger displacements, and establish new outposts. One hamlet south of Hebron is among many where residents abandoned their homes under persistent intimidation, leaving behind dwellings to make way for settlement growth.

Rights-monitoring organisations say that dozens of such communities are facing systematic removal, with hundreds of displaced individuals and families leaving behind land that has been fenced, re-zoned or repurposed. The pattern includes removal of livestock, harassment of shepherding families, infrastructure restrictions and the reclassification of vast tracts of so-called “state land” for settlement construction. 

Analysts point to a clearer strategy: outposts and roadblocks are being established, grazing lands are being cut off, and government ministries are providing financial and logistical support to settlers. Legal experts say such measures amount to “forcible transfer” under international law when communities are left with no viable alternative but to flee.