Al-Majaz
Khirbet al-Majaz is a small Palestinian herding hamlet in the South Hebron Hills, within the Masafer Yatta cluster of communities in the Hebron Governorate of the southern West Bank. Like other Masafer Yatta localities, it lies in Area C under Israeli civil and military control; large parts of the area were designated Firing Zone 918 for military training in the 1980s, with residents facing demolition orders, planning restrictions, and recurrent settler-related incidents.
Geography
Khirbet al-Majaz stands at about 662 metres above sea level, at approximate coordinates 31.37906°N, 35.188°E. It is one of several hamlets scattered across the limestone uplands east of Yatta that comprise Masafer Yatta.History and archaeology
The broader Masafer Yatta landscape historically supported seasonal pastoralism and cave-adapted dwelling. Families in al-Majaz share the region's pattern of caves, cisterns, terraces and small dryland plots that characterize the South Hebron Hills. Testimony gathered by humanitarian organizations documents long-term residence, displacement cycles and reliance on traditional herding livelihoods in and around al-Majaz.Al-Majaz is characterized by traditional cave houses supplemented by simple stone structures. It appears in multiple geographic and demographic surveys from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, corroborating its continuous habitation. The presence of cisterns, cultivated terraces, and animal pens seen in historic aerial photos supports the oral testimony of residents that the community long predates the establishment of Israel.
Legal–administrative context
Following the June 1967 war, Masafer Yatta came under Israeli occupation and was included in Area C. In the 1980s, the army designated much of the area as Firing Zone 918, constraining civilian construction, service connections, and access to land. In May 2022, the Supreme Court of Israel rejected petitions against eviction, paving the way for expulsions across multiple hamlets inside the firing zone. Planning documents also note al-Majaz's location within the Yatta municipal boundary and predominance of Area C jurisdiction.Education
Al-Majaz hosts a basic school that serves local children through 9th grade; older students typically continue in the school at nearby Khirbet al-Fakhit. International delegations have visited the site amid concerns over demolition threats to education facilities in Masafer Yatta.Access and services
- Road access: Al-Majaz is reached by unpaved tracks branching from the Yatta–At-Tuwani area; press coverage describes the site as “at the end of a long, dusty trail.”
- Water and power: As with neighboring hamlets, households rely on rain-fed cisterns and trucked water; electricity is typically provided by small solar arrays, with periodic demolitions/confiscations reported.
- Health and protection: Humanitarian reporting notes the health impacts of the coercive environment and recurrent demolitions/disruptions.
Population and livelihoods
Notable incidents
- On 12 February 2024, Israeli soldiers entered al-Majaz; livestock were mixed and five lambs were trampled, and damage was reported including to a mosque, according to B’Tselem documentation.
- On 26 August 2024, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man near al-Majaz in the “Firing Zone 918 area”; nearby houses were also struck by live ammunition, according to OCHA's situation update.
- Detention operations and settler-related incidents have been reported in al-Majaz and adjacent hamlets, including arrests of shepherds and mass detentions following a settler attack.