The last tents of Khirbet al-Mita in the Jordan Valley were reduced to ashes in a night-time blaze that residents say ended any remaining chance of staying on their land. What remained after the fire was not only scorched fabric and twisted poles, but an empty site where a small Bedouin community had struggled to survive amid mounting pressure linked to the wider genocidal war shaping life across the territory.

The village, now entirely depopulated, had already been hollowed out by months of intimidation. Families had been leaving gradually, worn down by repeated incursions, the loss of grazing land and access to water, and the steady tightening of restrictions around them. The burning of the tents came shortly after demolition operations nearby, accelerating a process that locals describe as deliberate and cumulative rather than sudden or accidental.

Those who stayed longest said the pressure intensified after settler outposts appeared on surrounding hills. Shepherds were chased away, crops were destroyed and livestock taken, while night-time attacks became increasingly frequent. Tents were vandalised, belongings scattered and residents threatened, creating conditions in which daily life became untenable. When the fires finally swept through the remaining shelters, even those determined to hold on were forced to leave, fearing for the safety of their children and the impossibility of rebuilding.

Displaced families have since scattered to neighbouring areas, some seeking refuge with relatives, others moving towards communities near Jericho. Local officials describe what happened in Khirbet al-Mita as part of a broader pattern aimed at emptying the northern valley of its Palestinian population. The destruction of tents, they argue, has become a blunt instrument of coercion, pushing communities out through fear and exhaustion rather than formal orders. The fate of Khirbet al-Mita, coming days after the clearing of another nearby hamlet, has heightened concerns that more vulnerable communities may soon face the same end.